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Microalbuminuria in children with primary and white-coat hypertension

Tomáš Seeman1, Michael Pohl, Daniela Palyzova

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, University Hospital Motol, 2nd School of Medicine, Charles University Prague, V Uvalu 84, 15006, Prague 5, Czech Republic. tomas.seeman@lfmotol.cuni.cz

Pediatric Nephrology (Berlin, Germany)
|October 6, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Microalbuminuria is more common in children with primary hypertension (PH) than those with white-coat hypertension (WCH). Children with PH show early signs of kidney damage, unlike WCH patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Hypertension Research
  • Renal Medicine

Background:

  • Microalbuminuria is a key indicator of hypertension-induced kidney damage in adults.
  • Limited data exists on microalbuminuria prevalence in pediatric hypertension, especially in white-coat hypertension (WCH).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria in children with primary hypertension (PH) and WCH.
  • To compare urinary albumin excretion (UAE) between pediatric PH and WCH cohorts.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case review of 52 children with PH or WCH across three pediatric nephrology centers.
  • Inclusion criteria: untreated hypertension and measured urinary albumin excretion (UAE).
  • Microalbuminuria defined as UAE > 3.2 mg/mmol creatinine.

Main Results:

  • Microalbuminuria was detected in 20% of children with PH, but in none with WCH (p < 0.01).
  • Children with PH exhibited significantly higher median UAE compared to WCH patients (1.27 ± 1.92 vs. 0.66 ± 0.46 mg/mmol creatinine, p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Children with primary hypertension demonstrate a higher prevalence of microalbuminuria.
  • White-coat hypertension in children does not appear to be associated with early signs of hypertension-related renal damage.

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