Prevalence of vesicoureteral reflux in patients with incidentally diagnosed adult hypertension

Objectives. To evaluate the prevalence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in hypertensive patients without any other evidence of renal involvement. Reflux nephropathy may be clinically latent and present in early adulthood as hypertension when superimposed confounding factors are added. Methods. The medical records of 157 adult hypertensive patients with normal renal parameters and low-probability, captopril-enhanced renal dynamic scan findings who underwent direct radionuclide voiding cystoscintigraphy between June 1998 and May 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. Results. VUR was documented in 30 patients (19.1%). In those 30 patients, VUR was mild in 8 (26.6%), moderate in 6 (20%), and severe in 16 (53.3%) patients. Bilateral VUR was seen in 7 patients, graded as severe in all cases. The prevalence by age was 20% in the 18 to 30-year-old group, 16.6% in the 31 to 45-year-old group, and 20% in the older than 45-year-old group. Conclusions. The results of this study have shown that VUR is present in a significantly large proportion of adult patients with hypertension without any apparent renal parenchymal or renovascular involvement. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc.