Urinary Albumin and Cardiovascular Profile in the Middle-Aged Population

The moderate increase in urinary albumin excretion defined as microalbuminuria is not rare and is associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Microalbuminuria prevalence is low in the absence of cardiovascular risk factors and progressively increases with the number cardiovascular risk factors. The main correlate of microalbuminuria is blood pressure, either systolic or diastolic pressure. The relation between blood pressure and microalbuminuria is continuous and graded because the microalbuminuria prevalence increases with the severity of hypertension. Among hypertensive patients on drug treatment, blood pressure control is associated with a low prevalence of microalbuminuria. Thus, blood pressure appears as a determinant of microalbuminuria rather than a mere correlate. For hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and diabetes, data are less strong but point to an independent positive association with microalbuminuria. Altogether, data indicate that microalbuminuria in the population reflects the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Data on microalbuminuria and coronary heart disease support this idea. There is a continuous and graded relation between urinary albumin excretion and coronary heart disease prevalence. High urinary albumin excretion is likely a sign of vascular damage existing both at the renal and cardiac levels and induced by 1 or more uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors.