Microalbuminuria is common, also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population, and an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidity

Objectives. To assess the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general pop ulation, especially in nondiabetic and nonhypertensive subjects, and its as sociation with known cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidi ty. Design. Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting. Inhabitants of the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. Subjects. All inhabitants, aged between 28 and 75 years, were send a postal questionnaire and a vial to collect an early morning urine sample (n = 85 421). Of these 40 856 subjects (47.8%) responded. Cardiovascular risk facto rs and morbidity were validated in a well defined nondiabetic and nonhypert ensive group of 5241 subjects. Main outcome measures. Microalbuminuria, self-reported cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular morbidity in the total study cohort, and additionally mo re detailed measurements in a subset of the total population. Results. Microalbuminuria (20-200 mg L-1) was present in 7.2% of the subjec ts and independently associated with age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, s moking, previous myocardial infarction and stroke. Some of these associatio ns were already observed at albuminuria levels of 10-20 mg L-1. After exclu sion of the diabetic and hypertensive subjects, microalbuminuria was still prevalent in 6.6% of the subjects. Conclusions. Microalbuminuria appears to be common not only in the general population but also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population and is ind ependently associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors and cardio -vascular morbidity. Importantly, some of these associations are present at urinary albumin levels currently considered to be normal. These findings s uggest that urinary albumin measurements may be useful in early risk profil ing and prevention of cardiovascular disease in the population at large.