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Published on: August 9, 2019
The significance of trace proteinuria
R Sam1, M S Shaykh, A A Pegoraro
1Division of Nephrology, Cook County Hospital, University of Illinois at Chicago and VAMC, West Side Division, Chicago, Ill. 60612, USA. Rsam29@aol.com
Background:
The clinical significance of a trace protein reading on urinalysis is unclear, and such a result is often ignored by the clinician.
Methods:
We examined 185 samples of urine with trace proteinuria by both Chemstrips and sulfosalicylic acid testing, and compared the results with those of urinary albumin and total protein concentrations.
Results:
Taking for the purposes of this study an arbitrary upper limit of normal of 20 mg/l for albumin and 100 mg/l for total protein concentration, we found abnormal albumin excretion in 87% and abnormal total protein excretion in 88% of trace samples. In this study, a negative urinalysis for protein excluded microalbuminuria in 87% and proteinuria in 78% of cases.
Conclusion:
Qualitative testing for protein by urinalysis has a high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing or ruling out microalbuminuria. Trace proteinuria usually means microalbuminuria; negative proteinuria tends to rule it out.
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