Serum Calcium Level in Patients with Essential Hypertension

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for death and disability globally, particularly in Bangladesh. Serum calcium is supposed to be linked with the pathophysiology of hypertension, though various studies have shown contradictory results. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the role of serum calcium level in essential hypertensive patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College and Hospital, Bangladesh following ethical clearance. Total 107 essential hypertensive patient who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria, were included in this study following informed written consent. Blood pressure was measured according to the protocol of American Heart Association (AHA). Serum calcium, albumin and creatinine were measured by HITACHI analyzer. Data was collected using questionnaire with closed ended questions which has been pretested. Collected data were analyzed by the SPSS 24.0. Mean age of study participants was 45.44±7.13 years (range: 21-63). Most of the patients were middle-aged (78.5%), male (54.2%), hailed from urban residence (95.3%), were overweight or obese (97.2%). Among comorbidities, 17.76% had DM, 7.48% had stroke and only 2.80% had cardiovascular diseases. Mean±SD SBP and DBP was 161.21±12.91 and 98.26±6.31 mmHg, respectively. Overall of the assessment showed, 23.36% patients were hypocalcemic, only 4.67% were hypercalcemic and rest of them were within physiological limit. Mean serum calcium was 9.04±0.84 mg/dL (7.36-11.72 mg/Dl). Systolic BP was significantly higher among patients with corrected calcium >8.5 mg/dL compared to ≤8.5 mg/dL (163.05±12.48 versus 155.87±13.04 mmHg, p<0.05). There was a positive linear relation between serum calcium and SBP (Beta=0.201, p=0.024). This study result revealed a significant association of corrected calcium with systolic BP. However, further larger multicenter study is recommended.