Salt intake assessed by 24 hour urinary sodium excretion of Moroccan adults: A pilot study.

Background Hypertension is a serious public health problem in Morocco. The objective of this pilot study was to estimate the daily salt intake of Moroccan adults by measuring 24-hour urinary sodium excretion. Methods In this study, 132 participants were recruited from the central region of Morocco. The individual information of the participants was collected using a standard questionnaire of World Health Organization (WHO). Verbal instructions were given to the participants for the 24-hour urine collection. All participants were given 5 liters plastic containers (with 1 g of boric acid for conservation purposes) to collect 24-hour urine excretion. Sodium, potassium and creatinine levels were measured using 24-hour urine samples. Results From the 132 participants that participated to the study, only 119 participants were included in the analysis. The average of the urine volume was 1128.1 ± 550.9 milliliters, with a range of (500-3300 mL). The daily excretion of sodium and creatinine was 2838.7 ± 1442.5 and 850.4 ± 398.4 mg, respectively. Data analysis revealed that 71.2% of the participants had a daily sodium intake that exceeded the 2000 mg (5 g of salt) recommended by the World Health Organization. The average potassium excretion was 1377.3 ± 642.4 mg/day, which is lower than WHO's recommendation of 3500 mg per day. Conclusion Participants in this pilot study had a high sodium intake and low potassium intake in Moroccan adults. Public health measures to reduce sodium and increase potassium consumption in order to decrease the population's risk of high blood pressure and heart disease are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]