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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Assessment of Kidney Function in Mouse Models of Glomerular Disease
Published on: June 30, 2018
Association between urinary albumin creatinine ratio and cardiovascular disease
Yoo Jin Kim1, Sang Won Hwang2, Taesic Lee3,4
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
Insights
Microalbuminuria, indicated by urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and increased CVD risk in both Korean men and women. This association is consistent across genders in a national health survey.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Nephrology
- Public Health
Background:
- Microalbuminuria is increasingly recognized as a marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) across diverse populations.
- However, the specific relationship between microalbuminuria and CVD risk, particularly when stratified by sex, requires further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between microalbuminuria and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and CVD status in a nationally representative Korean population.
- To examine potential sex-based differences in the relationship between microalbuminuria and CVD risk.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2011-2014 and 2019-2020.
- Measured microalbuminuria using spot urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR).
- Assessed CVD risk using the Framingham risk score (FRS) and employed linear and logistic regression analyses.
Main Results:
- A higher UACR was observed in Korean men and women with a history of CVD compared to those without.
- In individuals without a history of CVD, elevated UACR correlated with older age, unfavorable lipid profiles, higher blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and antihypertensive medication use in both sexes.
- A positive linear correlation was found between UACR and the FRS in both men and women.
Conclusions:
- Microalbuminuria is significantly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the Korean population.
- The presence of microalbuminuria independently predicts an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as evaluated by the FRS model, in both men and women.
Introduction:
The association between microalbuminuria and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is accumulating in various patient populations. However, when stratified by sex, the relationship between microalbuminuria and CVD remains unclear.
Method:
We obtained data from the 2011-2014 and 2019-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Microalbuminuria was measured based on spot urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR). The Framingham risk score (FRS) model was implemented to evaluate the CVD risk. Linear and logistic regression models were used to identify the associations of microalbuminuria status with cardiometabolic predictors and CVD status determined by the FRS score.
Results:
Among 19,340 representative Korean participants, the (UACR) in Korean women and men with history of CVD was higher than in those without history of CVD. Among patients without history of CVD, multivariate regression analysis showed that a high UACR was related to older age, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, higher total cholesterol level, higher systolic blood pressure, higher prevalence of current smoking, higher prevalence of diabetes, and higher anti-hypertensive medication use in both women and men. The UACR showed a positive linear correlation with the Framingham risk score in both women and men.
Conclusion:
The presence of microalbuminuria was significantly associated with the cardiometabolic risk factors and the increased risk of CVD evaluated by FRS model in both women and men in a nationally representative sample of Korea.
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