With or without diabetes, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to have albuminuria than whites, researchers conclude.
Bessie A. Young, MD, MPH, of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and her colleagues examined data collected for 15,552 participants of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
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Among diabetics, albuminuria was 2.77, 2.43, and 2.93 times more likely occur in blacks, Mexican Americans, and those of other ethnicities compared with whites, after adjusting for potential confounders, according to a report in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (2006;48:720-726). Among subjects without diabetes, blacks and Mexican Americans were at 2.18 and 1.81 times higher risk of albuminuria, respectively, compared with whites.
For subjects with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2, the researchers observed similar results for racial/ethnic minorities and those with diabetes; among participants with an eGFR of 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or higher, results were significant only for blacks whether they had diabetes or not.
Hemoglobin A1c level, systolic BP, income, diuretic use, and hypertensive treatment status remained independent factors associated with albuminuria.
