Twenty-four-hour proteinuria and acute kidney injury in women with preeclampsia in Peru

Background: Proteinuria and acute kidney injury describe different aspects of renal involvement in preeclampsia. Objective: To evaluate the association between 24-hour proteinuria and acute kidney injury (AKI) among women with preeclampsia at a referral hospital in Trujillo, Peru, during 2018–2024. Methods: A retrospective analytical record review included 127 women selected by simple random sampling. Proteinuria status and category, AKI diagnosis and stage, age group, and residence were extracted from clinical records. Frequencies and percentages summarized categorical variables. Associations were evaluated using two-sided Fisher exact, Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact, or Pearson chi-square tests, according to table dimensions and expected frequencies. Results: Proteinuria was documented in 48 women (37.8%): 35 had mild proteinuria, eight moderate proteinuria, and five nephrotic-range proteinuria. Three women (2.4%) had AKI, comprising two stage I cases and one stage III case. All three AKI cases occurred among women with proteinuria, corresponding to 6.3% of that group, compared with 0.0% among women without proteinuria; the association did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.052). Proteinuria was not significantly associated with age group (p = 0.573) or residence (p = 0.367); corresponding AKI comparisons were also nonsignificant (p = 1.000 and p = 0.470). Conclusions: Proteinuria was more frequent than AKI in this sample. The primary comparison did not establish a statistically significant association, and the small number of AKI events warrants cautious interpretation of the magnitude of the relationship.