Albuminuria, Proteinuria, and Renal Disease Progression in Children with CKD

The role of albuminuria as an indicator of progression has not been investigated in children with CKD in the absence of diabetes.

Children were enrolled from 49 centers of the CKD in Children study between January of 2005 and March of 2014. Cross-sectional multivariable linear regression (n=647) was used to examine the relationship between urine protein-to-creatinine (UP/C [milligrams per milligram]) and albumin-to-creatinine (ACR [milligrams per gram]) with eGFR (milliliters per minute per 1.73 m²). Parametric time-to-event analysis (n=751) was used to assess the association of UP/C, ACR, and urine nonalbumin-to-creatinine (Unon-alb/cr [milligrams per gram]) on the time to the composite endpoint of initiation of RRT or 50% decline in eGFR.

The median follow-up time was 3.4 years and 202 individuals experienced the event. Participants with a UP/C≥0.2 mg/mg and ACR≥30 mg/g had a mean eGFR that was 16 ml/min per 1.73 m² lower than those with a UP/C<0.2 mg/mg and ACR<30 mg/g. Individuals with ACR<30 mg/g, but a UP/C≥0.2 mg/mg, had a mean eGFR that was 9.3 ml/min per 1.73 m² lower than those with a UP/C<0.2 mg/mg and ACR<30 mg/g. When categories of ACR and Unon-alb/cr were created on the basis of clinically meaningful cutoff values of UP/C with the same sample sizes for comparison, the relative times (RTs) to the composite end-point were almost identical when comparing the middle (RT=0.31 for UP/C [0.2-2.0 mg/mg], RT=0.38 for ACR [56-1333 mg/g], RT=0.31 for Unon-alb/cr [118-715 mg/g]) and the highest (RT=0.08 for UP/C [>2.0 mg/mg], RT=0.09 for ACR [>1333 mg/g], RT=0.07 for Unon-alb/cr [>715 mg/g]) levels to the lowest levels. A similar trend was seen when categories were created on the basis of clinically meaningful cutoff values of ACR (<30, 30-300, >300 mg/g).

In children with CKD without diabetes, the utility of an initial UP/C, ACR, and Unon-alb/cr for characterizing progression is similar.