The prevalence of microalbuminuria and its relationships with the components of metabolic syndrome in the general population of China

Background: Few studies have examined the relationships between the prevalence of microalbuminuria and the metabolic risk factors in the general population of China. We performed a population based study to investigate the prevalence of microalbuminuria and its relationships with the components of the metabolic syndrome in Hangzhou, China. Methods: The subjects of this cross-sectional study were the individuals from 19 to 87y. The metabolic syndrome was defined based on the criteria of the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS). Microalbuminuria was defined as a urine albumin-creatinine ratio of 30 to 300 mg/g. Results: A total of 2985 subjects (average age of 44 y) were analyzed. Among them, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and microalbuminuria was 12.6% and 8.8%, respectively. Microalbuminuria prevalence rate was significantly higher in the population >60 y than <60 y. The prevalence of MAU in the group with metabolic abnormalities was significantly higher than the control group, and the prevalence rate of MAU in the metabolic syndrome group reached up to 20.3%. There was a significantly positive correlation between the prevalence of microalbuminuria and the corresponding components of the metabolic syndrome (P<0.001). Conclusions: Microalbuminuria was highly prevalent in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population in the city of Hangzhou. There is an increasing likelihood of having microalbuminuria if subjects have the metabolic syndrome. Early screening strategies for prevention and treatment of MAU are strongly suggested, especially in the population >60 y and the ones with metabolic abnormalities. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.