[Microalbuminuria in patients with glomerulonephritis in remission]

The authors focused their attention on residual changes in patients with glomerulonephritis who have a zero or only "physiological" proteinuria (under 0.15 g/24 hours), normal or slightly elevated s-creatinine and who do not suffer from hypertension. In these patients microalbuminuria in urine per 24 hours was assessed. Patients with albuminuria under 20 micrograms/min were included in the group with normal albuminuria (13 patients) and patients with albuminuria of more than 20 micrograms/min in the microalbuminuric group (11 patients). The two groups did not differ significantly as to age, sex, duration of the disease, maximum levels of proteinuria and s-creatinine values at the onset of the disease. S-creatinine and blood pressure values at the time of investigation were also comparable. The groups differed, however, significantly as to the period of "absolute" remission which the authors defined as the period during which proteinuria did not exceed the "physiological" limit. This period was in the normoalbuminuric group significantly longer--on average 5.1 years--while in the microalbuminuric group it was 2.1 years (difference at the 1% level of significance).