Key Points
- To determine whether microalbuminuria serves as an integrated marker for cardiovascular risk factors and insulin resistance in both men and women.
- Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the prospective D.E.S.I.R. cohort study.
- Included 3,878 participants aged 30–64 undergoing comprehensive medical and biological evaluations, including blood pressure, ECG, lipid panels, hematological indices, insulin, glucose, and urinary albumin concentration.
- Multiple regression analysis was applied to assess sex-specific determinants of microalbuminuria.
- Nine-year calculated absolute cardiovascular risk was significantly elevated in microalbuminuric men compared to normoalbuminuric men (4.18% vs. 2.79%, P < 0.0001), but did not differ significantly in women (0.75% vs. 0.69%, NS).
- Fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, lipids, leukocyte count, and hematocrit were significantly higher in microalbuminuric men than normoalbuminuric men, whereas these insulin resistance associations were largely absent in women.
- Multiple regression identified systolic arterial pressure, fasting glucose, leukocyte count, and hematocrit as significant independent correlates of microalbuminuria in men, compared to only systolic arterial pressure and triglycerides in women.
Structured PICO
Is microalbuminuria associated with cardiovascular risk factors and insulin resistance differently in men and women?
PPopulation3,878 subjects aged 30-64 from the D.E.S.I.R. Study
IInterventionMicroalbuminuria
CComparatorNormoalbuminuria
OOutcomeAssociation with cardiovascular risk factors and markers of insulin resistancesurrogate
Microalbuminuria is associated with cardiovascular risk factors and insulin resistance in men, but not consistently in women, suggesting sex-specific pathophysiological differences.