High-normal albuminuria is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in male population with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2): A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Low-grade albuminuria has been considered a predictor of cardiovascular mortality. We investigated the relationship between high-normal albuminuria and subclinical atherosclerosis in non-diabetic men with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1,756 men with eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) <30 mg/g, who attended general health checkups between April 2012 and March 2015, underwent blood sampling, urinalysis, and carotid ultrasonography. We excluded the subjects who were diabetic and/or received an anti-hypertensive drug. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and the number of focal atheromatous plaques were used as indicators of subclinical atherosclerosis. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify clinical factors associated with carotid IMT. Poisson regression analysis was used to assess the determinants of the carotid plaque number. RESULTS: Median UACR was 4.8 mg/g (interquartile range, 3.6–6.9 mg/g). Compared with subjects with low-normal UACR (<10.0 mg/g), subjects with high-normal UACR (10.0–29.8 mg/g) had greater IMT and higher carotid plaque number. High-normal UACR was independently associated with thickened IMT in the model adjusted for conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors. Moreover, participants with high-normal UACR were also more likely to be associated with increased plaque count (prevalence ratio: 1.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.14) after adjustment for conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that high-normal albuminuria is associated with both carotid IMT and plaque formation in the non-diabetic male population with eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m(2).