title: Random urine albumin:creatinine ratio in high-risk pregnancy - Is it clinically useful?
abstract: We evaluated the frequency of measurable albuminuria (⩾6.00mg/L) for albumin:creatinine ratios (ACr) among 160 consecutive women attending high-risk clinics. Of last urine samples before delivery, 76 had measurable albuminuria and 41/76 (53.9%) had ACr ⩾2mg/mmol of which 7.3% had normal pregnancy outcome. 84 samples had albuminuria <6.00mg/L and 43/84 (51.2%) had ACr ⩾2mg/mmol of which 25.6% had normal pregnancy outcome (p=0.025). Excluding 48/160 (30.0%) dilute samples (urinary creatinine <3mM), no samples with unmeasurable albuminuria had ACr ⩾2mg/mmol. In pregnancy, urine is often dilute and without measurable albuminuria, leading to a clinically relevant proportion of false positive results by ACr.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: Dane.DeSilva@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Dane A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: De Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: chalstead@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Halstead
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada. Electronic address: Anne-Marie.Cote@USherbrooke.ca.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: YSabr@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Yasser
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sabr
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: pdadelszen@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: von Dadelszen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Specialized Women's Health, British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver, Canada; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address: LMagee@cw.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Magee
keywords: Albumin:creatinine ratio; Hypertension; Microalbuminuria; Pre-eclampsia; Pregnancy; Proteinuria