The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the urine protein to creatinine ratio (uPCR) has have clinical significance in relation to cardiovascular risk associated with carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) progression, in subjects with type 2 diabetes and normoalbuminuria.
Methods
In this retrospective longitudinal study on T2D, we recruited 927 subjects with normoalbuminuria (urine albumin to creatinine ratio [uACR] < 30 mg/g) whose cIMT was measured at baseline and at least 1 year later, and whose initial urine protein to creatinine ratio (PCR) and ACR data were available.
Results
Higher initial uPCR was positively correlated with a greater increment in maximal cIMT (β=0.074, p=0.028), and this correlation was significant even after adjusting for multiple confounding factors (β=0.074, p=0.046). High baseline uPCR was an independent predictive factor for the increased risk of maximal cIMT progression in a simple logistic regression model (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, [1.08-1.86]; p=0.013). Even after adjusting for several confounding variables, higher uPCR was significantly associated with a higher risk of cIMT progression (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, [1.08−2.03]; p=0.014).
Conclusions
These results suggest that high uPCR may be a useful predictive marker for the progression of carotid artery atherosclerosis, even in subjects with T2D and without albuminuria.
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