title: Albuminuria: Prevalence, associated risk factors and relationship with cardiovascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of microalbuminuria, and to explore the relationship between albuminuria and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationally representative sample of 38,203 Chinese participants was categorized by different levels of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR; 0 -10 mg/g, 10 -20 mg/g, 20 -30 mg/g, 30 -300 mg/g). The prevalence of albuminuria was compared by using a single urinary ACR cut-off point and by sex-specific ACR cut-off points. Factors associated with the presence of albuminuria, and the relationship between albuminuria and CVD were analyzed by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of albuminuria as measured by a single ACR cut-point was significantly lower for men compared with women (13.9% vs 19.1% in the normal glucose tolerance group; 20.8% vs 26.8% in the impaired glucose tolerance group, P < 0.01). The prevalence of albuminuria, as measured by sex-specific ACR cut-points, was higher for men than women (31.4% vs 29.6% in the normal glucose tolerance group; 42.2% vs 39.3% in the impaired glucose tolerance group, P < 0.01). The independent risk factors for the presence of albuminuria were aging, female sex, hypertension, hyperglycemia, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. The subdivided normal ACR group did not show a linear or statistically significant relationship with CVD after adjusting for conventional CVD risk factors (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of albuminuria was high in the general Chinese population. Aging, female sex, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, obesity and metabolic syndrome were all independent risk factors for albuminuria. The causal relationship between ACR and CVD might require further follow-up investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Chinese PLA General Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Wenying
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Sun Yat-sen University Third Hospital Guangzhou China.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital Shanghai China.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Peking University People's Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Linong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: China-Japan Friendship Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: First Affiliated Hospital Chinese Medical University Shenyang Liaoning China.
authors.forename: Zhongyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Shanxi Province People's Hospital Taiyuan Shanxi China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: West China Hospital, Sichuan University Chengdu Sichuan China.
authors.forename: Haoming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Xijing Hospital Fourth Military Medical University Xi'an Shaanxi China.
authors.forename: Qiuhe
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School Nanjing Jiangsu China.
authors.forename: Dalong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region's Hospital Urmqi Xinjiang China.
authors.forename: Jiapu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Hospital Fuzhou Fujiang China.
authors.forename: Lixiang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Qilu Hospital of Shandong University Jinan Shandong China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Peking University First Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Henan Province People's Hospital Zhengzhou Henan China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University Harbin Heilongjiang China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Xiangya Second Hospital Changsha Hunan China.
authors.forename: Zhiguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Statistics Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College Beijing China.
authors.forename: Guangliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Chinese PLA General Hospital Beijing China.
authors.forename: Juming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: Albuminuria; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes mellitus