Associations of micro-albuminuria with intra-uterine growth retardation

Background/Aim: Micro-albuminuria is associated with insulin resistance and a high blood pressure and predicts an increased risk of cardiovascular dis ease in both diabetic and non-diabetic populations. Relationships have been described for micro-albuminuria with both low birth weight and short statu re in adulthood. We have tested the hypothesis that micro-albuminuria in no n-diabetic adults may be associated with markers of intrauterine growth ret ardation. Methods: We measured the urinary albumin excretion rate in 818 me n and women from three populations, in whom detailed records of birth weigh t were available, of whom 354 had records of length at birth to provide an estimate of the ponderal index. Results: The albumin excretion rates were h igher in men than in women (5.1 vs. 3.8 mug/min) and were related to age (r = 0.23, p < 0.001) and body mass index (r = 0.08, p = 0.02) as well as fas ting plasma glucose and blood pressure. Considered as a continuous variable , the albumin excretion rate was not related to any measure of size at birt h or to adult height. Fifty-four subjects (6.6%) were micro-albuminuric (al bumin excretion rate greater than or equal to 20 mug/ min), and these subje cts were thinner at birth than normo-albuminuric subjects (12.9 vs. 13.8 oz /in(3), p = 0.09). Compared to those subjects whose ponderal index had been in the upper third of the distribution, people whose ponderal index had be en in the lower third of the distribution had an odds ratio for micro-album inuria of 3.1 (p for trend 0.05). Conclusion: The association between micro -albuminuria, insulin resistance, and coronary heart disease may be a conse quence of growth retardation representing a common antecedent. Copyright (C ) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.