Early microalbuminuria as a clinical marker for acute cerebral small vessel infarction

Previous studies have shown the potential interactions between cerebrovascular diseases and microalbuminuria. However, the relationship between urine microalbumin and acute lacunar infarction caused by cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) remains unknown.

The clinical data of 148 patients with acute lacunar infarction admitted to the Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between April 2016 and April 2017 were analyzed. They were divided into either a CSVD group (n = 70) or a cerebral large vessel disease (CLVD) group (n = 78) according to their carotid artery B-mode ultrasonography and head magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) findings. The concentration of urinary microalbumin in both groups was determined. Statistic analysis was conducted using SAS 9.1 software (North Carolina state university, USA). A Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for acute lacunar infarction caused by CSVD.

The concentration of urine microalbumin in the CSVD group (23 ± 12 mg/L) was significantly lower than that in the CLVD group (29 ± 15 mg/L) (p < 0. 01). However, there was an increasing trend for the proportion of patients with urine microalbumin concentration 10- < 30 mg/L (34.3%) in the CSVD group compared with the CLVD group (19.2%). Logistic regression analysis showed that microalbuminuria (10- < 30 mg/L) was independently associated with acute lacunar infarction caused by CSVD (OR = 3.582; 95% CI 1.347～6.274; p < 0.01).

These findings demonstrate that in patients with acute lacunar infarction, slightly increased microalbuminuria seems to be a potential clinical marker for CSVD. The presence of microalbuminuria early may help to differentiate CSVD from stroke subtypes.