Effect of Diuretics on Hematocrit in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Diuretics are drugs used in the treatment of arterial hypertension. Their mechanism of action is based on reducing plasma volume at the expense of the natriuretic effect. Hematocrit depends on the ratio of red blood cells to plasma in whole blood; a ratio that can be affected by the consumption of diuretics.

Objective: To determine the effect of thiazide and loop diuretics, at therapeutic doses, on hematocrit in hypertensive patients.

Methods: An explanatory study, with non-experimental design, was carried out at the Provincial University Hospital "Manuel Ascunce Domenech" of Camagüey, in the period from June to October 2021. The study universe was constituted by all hypertensive patients taking antihypertensive drugs who attended the clinical laboratory service with medical indication of hematocrit, and who met the selection criteria established in the research. The sample size was 42 patients. The microhematocrit method was used to determine the hematocrit value expressed as a percentage.

Results: Hydrochlorothiazide was the diuretic most used by patients (38.1 %). Significant differences (p ꞊ 0.0005) were found between hypertensive patients treated with diuretics and those not treated, regarding the average hematocrit value between 37 % and 40 %, respectively.

Conclusions: The consumption of diuretics at therapeutic doses has no clinically relevant effects on hematocrit in hypertensive patients.