Millions of people are suffering from hypertension worldwide, which may lead to several health issues, impacting different organs of the body.
Health officials issued a warning that people suffering from high blood pressure should not ignore regular urine tests, as they can assist in detecting early signs of kidney damage.
Prolonged hypertension can silently damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys, impacting their function of filtering blood properly.
Clinical pharmacist Anum Iqbal explained that the kidneys act as the body’s natural filtration system, removing excess fluid and waste products.
When blood vessels are damaged, this process becomes less effective, causing important substances to leak into urine while harmful waste may remain in the body.
A major diagnostic marker is the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). Normally, albumin, a protein, is only present in urine in a very small quantity.
Its detection may indicate renal failure. Creatinine, which is excreted at a steady rate, is used as a reference to measure concentration of other substances, assisting doctors in proper examination of kidney function.
Health experts urged getting tested for ACR shortly after being diagnosed with hypertension and repeating it at least once a year, depending on individual risk factors.
Early detection is important because kidney disease often starts without showing any symptoms in its early stages; however, timely treatment can slow progression and prevent complications.
Moreover, urine tests assist in identifying drug adherence, detect diabetes, infections, abnormal salt levels, and other causes of hypertension.
They are therefore considered an important part of long-term blood pressure and kidney health monitoring.
