Abstract
BackgroundMicroalbuminuria is a marker of cardiovascular events. This study investigated the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general population and the factors that can affect urinary excretion of albumin.MethodsApparently healthy subjects who participated in a health checkup at our hospital were enrolled in this study (n = 7963, male 64.0%, 56.2 ± 11.8 years old) Urine samples were collected for the measurement of albumin concentrations, which were expressed as the ratio of urinary albumin to creatinine concentrations (UACR [mg/g Cr]). Individual salt intake was assessed by estimating the 24-hour urinary salt excretion of subjects.ResultsThe mean blood pressure was 124 ± 15/76 ± 10 mmHg and 31.6%, 7.4%, and 44.1% of subjects had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, respectively. Urinary albumin was detected in 7265 subjects (91.2%: UACR ≥ 300 mg/g Cr, 0.5%; 300 > UACR ≥ 30 mg/g Cr, 4.6%; 30 > UACR ≥ 20 mg/g Cr, 2.4%; 20 > UACR ≥ 10 mg/g Cr, 8.7%; 10 > UACR ≥ 5 mg/g Cr, 21.8%; UACR < 5 mg/g Cr, 53.2%). In subjects with detectable albuminuria, UACR was independently correlated with age, systolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, fasting plasma glucose, and salt intake after adjustment for possible factors (P < 0.0001).ConclusionThe prevalence of microalbuminuria was found to be 4.6% in the general population. The urinary excretion of albumin was closely associated with blood pressure and salt intake. These data indicated the importance of salt restriction for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal disease.
Highlights
Microalbuminuria is a marker of cardiovascular events
Clinical data have demonstrated that left ventricular hypertrophy, increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery, and subclinical cardiovascular diseases are associated with microalbuminuria among individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease [3,4,5]
UACR was correlated with age, male gender, waist circumference, BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP), serum creatinine, uric acid, fasting plasma glucose, dyslipidemia, salt intake, ECG voltage, and use of inhibitors of the reninangiotensin system (Table 2)
Summary
Microalbuminuria is a marker of cardiovascular events. This study investigated the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general population and the factors that can affect urinary excretion of albumin. Epidemiological and experimental studies have established that high levels of urinary albumin excretion are associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular mortality as well as mortality from all causes [6] Most of these data came from observations involving high-risk. The establishment of an association between urinary excretion of albumin and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the general population may support the measurement of urinary albumin as a cardiovascular disease marker. This would enable the identification of individuals who may benefit from aggressive risk reduction for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Through these data we sought to identify factors that may affect urinary excretion of albumin in the general population
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