Albuminurie, microalbuminurie et diabète

Urinary albumin excretion is useful to evaluate renal risk in diabetes, and also cardiovascular risk. Microalbuminuria is defined by low values of urinary albumin. The best technique for its detection is the immunoassay. But measurements, non standardized, can be realized with three kinds of urinary collection : 24 h urine, sample, timed sample. And pathophysiological factors can modify urinary albumin excretion. So the need of two positive results to confirm microalbuminuria, according to the same sampling conditions and the same measurement conditions. Albuminuria/creatininuria ratio allows to reduce the inaccuracies of the sample collection. There's no consensus for patients follow but some practices are prevalent, especially annual albuminuria or proteinuria measurement in diabetic type 1 and 2 patients.