Evidence for the use of urinary albumin as marker of kidney involvement in unselected populations

The incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been increasing, and within a 10-year period it is predicted that it will increase by 40 %. The main cause of death in this population of more than 50,000,000 individuals worldwide is cardiovascular disease. Increased urinary albumin is a predictor of renal failure, type 1 and type 2 diabetes; it correlates closely with mean arterial pressure in hypertensive subjects, predicts cardiovascular …