A STUDY ON SERUM SODIUM AND POTASSIUM IN NEWLY DIAGNOSED PRIMARY HYPERTENSION

Background Of Study: Hypertension is one of the worlds leading causes of death and disability among adults. It is the major risk factor responsible for coronary, cerebral and peripheral vascular disease. Primary hypertension comprises more than 90% of hypertension. Objective: To study the levels of serum sodium and potassium in newly diagnosed primary hypertension patients. To correlate the sodium and potassium levels with the blood pressure. Method: The work was carried out in the outpatient Medicine department of Chalmeda Anand Rao institute of medical sciences.Cross-sectional Study (Analytical Study) Sample size: 50 cases (35 cases and 15 controls) Results: Serum sodium was higher in the hypertensive group than in the control group even though both were within the normal range. The mean and standard deviation of serum sodium among cases was 147.94 ± 2.88 meq/L while in the control group, it was 138.86 ± 3.44 meq/L respectively. Serum potassium was found to be lower in the hypertensive group when compared with the control group even though both were within the normal range. The mean serum potassium in the study group was 3.55 ± 0.29 meq/L. The mean potassium in the control group was 4.67 ± 0.22 meq/L. Conclusion: Serum sodium was significantly more among the hypertensive population and it was independent of gender. Serum potassium was significantly less among the hypertensive population and it correlated negatively with the level of blood pressure. Serum sodium level also correlated positively with the level of blood pressure.