Clinical and biochemical profile of individuals with renal glucosuria: A matched cohort study

To compare the clinical and biochemical characteristics of individuals with renal glucosuria to matched controls.

We analysed data from 60,000 consecutive adults in Maccabi Healthcare Services, an Israeli health maintenance organization, who had at least two urine dipstick tests performed at least 3 months apart within 10 years before 11 March 2024. For each patient, we analysed the most recent urine test and the previous test taken at least 3 months earlier. We excluded individuals with prediabetes or diabetes, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor use and pregnancy. Individuals with renal glucosuria (two positive glucose urine tests plus an ICD-9-CM diagnosis) were matched 1:3 to controls (two negative glucose urine tests) by age, sex, weight and BMI. Clinical and laboratory data were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Of 227 individuals with renal glucosuria, 220 were matched with 660 controls selected from a total of 33,655 individuals. The mean age of the study population (n = 880) was 36.9 ± 12 years; 70% were female, and the mean BMI was 24.1 ± 4.1 kg/m². Individuals with renal glucosuria had higher haematocrit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04 to 1.16) and lower blood uric acid levels (aOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.85) compared with controls. No significant differences were observed in fasting glucose, estimated glomerular filtration rate, lipid profiles or the rates of hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or genitourinary infections.

In young adults, renal glucosuria was associated with higher haematocrit and lower uric acid, with no other cardiometabolic differences from controls.