KIDNEY ULTRASOUND PARAMETERS AND RENAL BLOOD BIOCHEMISTRY MARKERS IN POST-HEMORRHAGIC STROKE HYPERTENSIVE SURVIVORS
Authors: Netiazhenko Vasyl Z. , Tkachyshyn Oleksandr V. , Tkachyshyna Nataliia Yu. , Plenova Olha M. 
Published: December 2023

Introduction. Hemorrhagic stroke is a serious and devastating complication of arterial hypertension, which leads to increased mortality in survivors even after the early recovery period. Being other target organs for arterial hypertension, kidneys take part in blood pressure regulation. Investigation of their peculiarities in such patients may provide valuable data on possible reasons of poor long-term prognosis in this category of patients.

The aim of the study: to compare kidney ultrasound parameters and renal blood biochemistry tests between the post-hemorrhagic stroke hypertensive subjects in a stable phase of recovery period and the patients with arterial hypertension who had no cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events.

Materials and methods. There were 100 subjects enrolled into the study. They formed two investigatory groups: the main (n=64; age – 52,2±8,41 years, M±SD years) and the control (n=36; age – 51,8±5,92 years) one. Hypertensive patients of the main group developed hemorrhagic stroke – subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (n=42) or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (n=22) – ≥6 months prior to the examination conducted at this study. The control group consisted of patients with non-complicated arterial hypertension. In both groups of patients, the kidney ultrasound parameters and blood plasma urea, creatinine and uric acid concentration levels were determined. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated.

Results. The indices of kidney ultrasound parameters in the main group and the control group were the following ones, respectively: the pole-to-pole size of the right kidney was 9,96±1,05 and 11,63±1,26 cm, the same size of the left kidney – 10,39±0,93 and 11,95±1,23 cm, p<0,01 for both pairs. Among the biochemistry blood plasma indices, uric acid concentration reached significant difference as well – 411,21±60,36 and 360,91±75,3 µmol/L in the relevant groups, respectively (p=0,04). On the other hand, eGFR did not show the difference between the study groups. The main group was characterized by a higher prevalence of kidney stone formation – OR 5,00 (95% CI, 1,83-13,65). The statistically significant higher incidence rate of calculus development was identified in two subgroups of the main group as well: for SAH – OR 3,08 (95% CI, 1,05-9,02), for ICH – OR 13,33 (95% CI, 3,69-48,15). When comparing to the control group, kidney cyst identification rate in the SAH subgroup referred to OR 3,08 (95% CI, 1,05-9,02), while kidney pelvis/calyces enlargement incidence rate was higher in the ICH subgroup OR 9,17 (95% CI, 2,15-39,06).

Conclusions. The obtained data indicate the smaller pole-to-pole dimension of both kidneys in hypertensive subjects who suffered hemorrhagic stroke, accompanying higher incidence rate of kidney calculus formation in view of the increased blood plasma uric acid concentration. The same is typical for the SAH individuals subgroup but with the addition of prevalence of kidney cysts incidence rate. As for the ICH subgroup, in addition to the main group findings, pelvis/calyces enlargement is observed more frequently when comparing to the hypertensive only subjects.