title: High-normal albuminuria predicts metabolic syndrome in middle-aged Korean men: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  High-normal albuminuria has recently been associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is uncertain whether high-normal albuminuria is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objective of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether a temporal relationship exists between a high-normal urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and the development of MetS.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 4338 healthy Korean men who had their UACRs and MetS components assessed in 2005 were enrolled in the study. A MetS-free cohort of 1364 individuals, who did not have any conditions that would have excluded them from the study, was followed up until 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  MetS was defined according to the joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) associated with normal UACR values stratified into following tertiles: <3.12 μg/mg, ≥3.12, <4.87 μg/mg, and ≥4.87 μg/mg. The UACR was categorised into the following tertiles. During 4470.6 person-years of follow-up, 247 incident cases of MetS developed between 2006 and 2010. The third UACR tertile was associated with the development of MetS after adjusting for multiple baseline covariates (HR 1.57; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-2.18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the basis of our 5-year follow-up study, a high-normal UACR predicts the development of MetS in Korean men.
authors.affiliation: The Korea Central Cancer Registry, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Keun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Oksun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: armani131@naver.com.
authors.forename: Jae-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ryoo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000150:complications*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Albuminuria; Cohort studies; Metabolic syndrome; Urine albumin creatinine ratio