Is any degree of albuminuria a risk factor for cardiovascular events, death, and heart failure in individuals with or without diabetes?
Any degree of albuminuria, even below the traditional microalbuminuria cutoff, is a risk factor for cardiovascular events in both diabetic and nondiabetic individuals.
Our results indicate that any degree of albuminuria is a risk factor for CV events in individuals with or without DM; the risk increases with the ACR, starting well below the microalbuminuria cutoff. Screening for albuminuria identifies people at high risk for CV events.
Hertzel C. Gerstein (Wed,) studied this question.