[Microalbuminuria in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus]

The aim of the investigation was microalbuminuria evaluation as an early symptom of renal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thirty patients aged 18 to 66 years (mean: 39,4 years) with mean duration of SLE of 6,3 years (range: 0,5 to 22 years) were examined. All of them fulfilled the preliminary criteria of the American Rheumatism Association for the classification of SLE. During the study none of patients had clinical or laboratory symptoms of nephropathy, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Microalbuminuria was measured by immunoturbidimetric method and the urine microalbumin concentration was expressed as the ratio microalbumin-creatinine concentration in 24 hour urine [equation: see text] Ratio I was 3,36 (+/- 2,76) in patients suffering from SLE comparing to I = 1,35 (+/- 0.89) in normal controls (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between increasing microalbuminuria and patients age and duration of disease. There was also no correlation between microalbuminuria and erythrocyte sedimentation rate or immunological activity parameters (i.e. antinuclear antibodies, anti dsDNA antibodies, levels of C3 and C4 components of complement).