Microalbuminuria: Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications in Diabetic and Hypertensive Pregnancy

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Abstract
Microalbuminuria is defined as urinary excretion of albumin that is persistently above normal, although below the sensitivity of conventional semiquantative test strips. Several studies have reported that Type 1 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria are apparently more likely to develop diabetic nephropathy eventually progressing to renal failure. Microalbuminuria is also a strong predictor of mortality in Type 2 diabetes, and is correlated with increased blood pressure in patients with benign essential hypertension. Radioimmunoassay revealed a significantly higher urinary albumin excretion rate in normal pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy, compared to the second and first, and compared to non-pregnant women. Microalbuminuria was found in 30% of women who had a record of gestational diabetes mellitus. Published results are controversial regarding the assumption that microalbuminuria is an early predictor of pregnancy-induced hypertensive complications.