What question did this study set out to answer?

Assess albuminuria in COPD patients and its relationship with various clinical and physiological parameters.

January 10, 2026Scientific Reports0 citationsOpen Access

Albuminuria as a non-invasive biomarker of endothelial dysfunction in patients with COPD

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

COPD patients have higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, with low oxygen saturation identified as the independent predictor of albuminuria. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

MMMarwa MoaazAlexandria University SMSahar Taher MouradAlexandria University ABAyman Ibrahim BaessAlexandria University

Key Result

COPD patients had higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, with low oxygen saturation identified as the independent predictor of albuminuria.

Key Points

Assess albuminuria in COPD patients and its relationship with various clinical and physiological parameters.
Cross-sectional study design.
Included 60 COPD patients and 40 non-COPD adult smokers.
Evaluated anthropometric parameters, oxygen saturation, spirometry, and flow-mediated dilation.
Measured urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio and routine laboratory parameters.
COPD patients showed higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio compared to non-COPD smokers.
Albuminuria was linked to higher body mass index, more frequent exacerbations, and lower oxygen saturation in COPD patients.
Negative correlation found between UACR and flow-mediated dilation; positive correlation with number of comorbidities and fasting plasma glucose.
Low oxygen saturation was identified as the only independent predictor of albuminuria.

Structured PICO

Does albuminuria correlate with endothelial dysfunction and clinical severity in patients with COPD compared to non-COPD smokers?

Population

60 adult male patients with stable COPD (mean age 58.8) and 40 age- and sex-matched non-COPD adult male smokers (mean age 57.23). Key exclusions: acute or chronic respiratory disease other than COPD, established diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or chronic kidney disease.

Intervention

Measurement of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) to assess albuminuria

Comparator

Non-COPD adult smokers

Outcome

Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) levels and prevalence of albuminuria (UACR ≥ 20 mg/g)surrogate

Albuminuria is significantly more prevalent in COPD patients than in matched smokers and correlates with impaired flow-mediated dilation and hypoxemia, suggesting UACR could serve as a simple, non-invasive biomarker for endothelial dysfunction in this population.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%

Abstract

Abstract Endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While albuminuria is currently recognized as a biomarker of generalized ED, data on the evaluation of albuminuria among COPD patients and its association with disease outcome measures are still limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess albuminuria among a group of COPD patients and investigate its relationship with clinical and physiological parameters. Sixty adult patients with COPD and forty non-COPD adult smokers were included in this cross-sectional study. All participants were assessed for anthropometric parameters, oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ), spirometry test, 6-minute walk test, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, routine laboratory measurements, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). Patients with COPD had higher levels of UACR (mg/g) and a greater prevalence of albuminuria than non-COPD smokers. COPD patients with albuminuria had higher body mass index (BMI), more frequent exacerbations, lower SpO 2 , lower FMD, and higher fasting plasma glucose than patients without albuminuria. UACR in COPD patients was associated negatively with FMD and SpO 2 and positively with the number of comorbidities and fasting plasma glucose. The main predictors of albuminuria in COPD patients were high BMI, low SpO 2 , and high fasting plasma glucose. The only independent predictor of albuminuria was the presence of low SpO 2 . Given the significant association with FMD, the gold standard measure of ED, we suggest that the measurement of UACR could be routinely utilized for assessing ED in COPD patients, particularly those with low oxygen saturation.

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