title: Limited value of routine microalbuminuria assessment in multi-ethnic obese children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors in a multi-ethnic cohort of overweight and obese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed using data from 408 overweight and obese children (age 3-19 years). In addition to administering an oral glucose tolerance test, we measured anthropometric variables, plasma lipid levels, alanine aminotransferase and the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR). Microalbuminuria was defined as an ACR of between 2.5 and 25 mg/mmol in boys and 3.5 and 25 mg/mmol in girls. In total, only 11 (2.7 %) of the children analyzed presented with microalbuminuria, with no differences between ethnic groups, sex or in the prevalence of hypertension compared to the children with normoalbuminuria. After adjustment for confounders, the body mass index Z-score tended to be different between the group with microalbuminuria versus that without (3.6 vs. 3.2, respectively; P = 0.054). ACR was not associated with hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, high triglycerides or low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a large multi-ethnic cohort of overweight and obese children, we found a low prevalence of microalbuminuria (11 children, 2.7 %), and in this small number of individuals, we found no association with any of the cardiometabolic risk factors assessed. Therefore, our data do not support the routine measurement of microalbuminuria in asymptomatic overweight and obese children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Slotervaart Hospital, Louwesweg 6, 1066 EC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Nalini.Radhakishun@slz.nl
authors.forename: Nalini N E
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Radhakishun
authors.forename: Mariska
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Vliet
authors.forename: Ines A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: von Rosenstiel
authors.forename: Jos H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Beijnen
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diamant
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers