Microalbuminuria

Microalbuminuria - the measurement of small amounts of albumin in the urine that cannot be detected by urine dipstick methods.

Microalbuminuria is diagnosed:

excretion of 30–300mg of albumin/24 h
or 20–200 µg/min or 30–300 µg/mg of creatinine on two of three urine collections

[edit] Significance

an indicator of subclinical cardiovascular disease
marker of vascular endothelial dysfunction
an important prognostic marker for kidney disease
- in diabetes mellitus
- in hypertension
increasing microalbuminuria level during the first 48 hours after admission to an intensive care unit predicts elevated risk for acute respiratory failure , multiple organ failure , and overall mortality

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