Microalbuminuria: 'Window of the Arteries'

It is well known that most proteins in the blood are too large to pass through the tiny filter pores of the kidneys. However, if the kidneys are diseased or injured, proteins can leak into the urine, especially a small blood protein called albumin. The presence of very small amounts of albumin in the urine, called microalbuminuria, is the first sign of impaired kidney function. However, microalbuminuria can independently identify people at risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, or death. Microalbuminuria can also predict the development of overt diabetic nephropathy.

Kidney damage can be caused by high blood pressure, which is caused by high blood pressure damaging the filtering small blood vessels of the organ. Because microalbuminuria precedes a heart attack or stroke, it often represents an early sign of damaging changes throughout the vascular system. Therefore, microalbuminuria can be regarded as a "window of arteries", a signal that hypertension needs to be treated and controlled. If high blood pressure is not treated, kidney function may continue to deteriorate or fail. Notably, patients with diabetes, with or without hypertension, develop microalbuminuria, renal disease or renal failure, and cardiovascular disease. Patients diagnosed with microalbuminuria should be prevented from developing these diseases in order to maintain their health.

Microalbuminuria is associated with hypertension

Microalbuminuria is associated with hypertension. High blood pressure occurs when vasoconstriction makes it difficult for blood to pass. There are many risk factors for high blood pressure, including age, ethnicity, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle, and regular screening of people at risk for developing the disease is important.

In developed countries, less than 27% of hypertensive patients are controlled, while this number drops to less than 10% in developing countries. Hypertension is a high-morbidity disease affecting 20% of adults and a risk factor for heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.

Microalbuminuria suggests the presence of diabetic nephropathy

The diagnostic criteria for microalbuminuria with metabolic syndrome are three of the following characteristic findings: increased waist circumference, increased triglycerides, decreased HDL cholesterol, increased blood glucose, or increased fasting blood glucose.

Albuminuria is also seen in 10% to 15% of non-diabetic patients and in up to 30% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a common disease with an increasing incidence worldwide. In such patients, microalbuminuria is the first clinical sign of renal impairment, and proteinuria suggests the presence of severe diabetic nephropathy.

Microalbuminuria screening is easy

Since albumin excretion testing is a low-cost, cost-effective method to identify patients at high cardiovascular risk who require additional prevention and treatment, the general consensus is that routine testing is beneficial. The first simple way to check for microalbuminuria is to dip a specially designed chemical dipstick into the urine sample. The color change of the test strip will indicate the level of protein in the urine. If positive, the result is confirmed with further examination. Generally, less than 30 mg of albumin is excreted in urine per minute. However, the excretion rate in patients with microalbuminuria can rise to 30 to 299 mg, and in patients with proteinuria it exceeds 300 mg. In hypertensive patients without diabetes, microalbuminuria, even below the threshold, is a predictor of cardiovascular disease.

Treatment of microalbuminuria with antihypertensive drugs

Because microalbuminuria is the "window of arteries," it can help clinicians identify high-risk patients and estimate the potential benefit of treating and controlling hypertension. Prompt detection of microalbuminuria can optimize treatment and help prevent or delay the progression of renal complications. For patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, or both, the primary goal of treatment is to control blood pressure or blood sugar. For patients with high blood pressure, doctors may prescribe angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for patients with type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) or angiotensin receptor blockers for patients with type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent). These drugs were more protective of kidney function than other drugs, and the level of blood pressure control was the same.

A gold-label rapid test reagent that can diagnose whether the kidneys are healthy or not within 3 minutes by testing their own urine. The microalbuminuria detection reagent has brought great convenience to the majority of patients with diabetic nephropathy, hypertension, lupus erythematosus, obesity and kidney deficiency. Simple operation, convenient interpretation and accurate and reliable results. Its birth has reduced the troubles of a large part of the population. It is particularly significant that early detection of patients with early renal disease can be achieved through the detection results, so as to achieve the purpose of early detection and early treatment, and save a lot of manpower and material resources for patients and their families.