title: Microalbuminuria in the paediatric age: current knowledge and emerging questions.
abstract: The prevalence of microalbuminuria (MA) in children and adolescents differs from the one in adults, and it is estimated to be about 5.7-7.3% in boys and 12.7-15.1% in girls. The percentage is greater in smaller age group, whereas a positive association is found between albumin excretion rate and pubertal development stage in nondiabetic subjects. The data so far suggest that impairment of glucose metabolism, obesity-related proatherosclerotic pathways and the impact of haemodynamic load constitute major determinants of albuminuria development in the early years of life. In everyday practice if persistent MA is present at a young age, especially in the setting of diabetes, further investigation of cardiovascular risk factors, a more careful follow-up and dietary/lifestyle interventions are needed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the significance of MA in paediatric essential hypertension has yet to be determined, its role in diabetic children and adolescents is established and albuminuria assessment has been utilized as a screening test for the presence of diabetes-related kidney disease.
authors: First Cardiology Clinic, University of Athens, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. ktsioufis@hippocratio.gr
authors: Costas
authors: C
authors: Tsioufis
authors: Anastasia
authors: A
authors: Mazaraki
authors: Kyriakos
authors: K
authors: Dimitriadis
authors: Costas J
authors: CJ
authors: Stefanidis
authors: Christodoulos
authors: C
authors: Stefanadis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D002648:Child; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D007674:Kidney Diseases; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D010372:Pediatrics; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012306:Risk