Urinary albumin excretion is related to cardiovascular risk indicators, not to flow-mediated vasodilation, in apparently healthy subjects

• Published in: Atherosclerosis 2002-07, Vol.163 (1), p.121-126
• Main Authors: Diercks, Gilles F.H, Stroes, Erik S.G, Boven, Ad J.van, Roon, Arie M.van, Hillege, Hans L, Jong, P.E.de, Smit, Andries J, Gans, Rijk O.B, Crijns, Harry J.G.M, Rabelink, Ton J, Gilst, Wiek H.van
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Albuminuria - diagnosis; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Flow Velocity; Brachial Artery - pathology; Brachial Artery - physiopathology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Coronary heart disease; Endothelium; Endothelium, Vascular - diagnostic imaging; Female; Heart; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Microalbuminuria; Middle Aged; Probability; Prospective Studies; Reference Values; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sex Factors; Ultrasonography; Urinalysis; Vasodilation - physiology
• ISSN: 0021-9150; 1879-1484
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9150(01)00748-1

Based on studies in diabetic and hypertensive populations it has been postulated that early endothelial dysfunction is the mechanism responsible for the increased cardiovascular risk in microalbuminuric subjects. We evaluated the relation between microalbuminuria and endothelial dysfunction, assessed as flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery, in an apparently healthy population. Within the framework of the PREVEND Intervention Trial non-hypertensive and non-hypercholesterolemic subjects were recruited on the basis of reproducible microalbuminuria. Using high-resolution ultrasound, flow-mediated dilation and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation of the brachial artery was assessed to measure endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent responses, respectively. For the current study subjects with diabetes mellitus, clinical atherosclerosis, and macroalbuminuria were excluded from the analyses. We studied 421 men and 233 women (mean age (SD) 50 (12)). Increasing levels of urinary albumin excretion were accompanied by a significant increase in age, percentage men, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, and serum triglycerides, whereas there was no decrease of flow-mediated vasodilation or nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilation. Adjusted for age and sex, urinary albumin excretion was significantly related to systolic ( r=0.19, P