Prevalence and Spectrum of Albuminuria among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in a Tertiary Health-care Facility in Southern Nigeria

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a life-threatening microvascular complication often leading to progressive renal failure and death. Microalbuminuria is an early marker of DN and a major risk factor for endothelial dysfunction. Routine screening for albuminuria will improve health outcomes in these patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising 150 consecutive adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) (WHO criteria) attending the medical outpatient clinic of our hospital from December 2017 to December 2018. The study was done in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was sought and obtained from the Ethical and Research Committee of the hospital before the commencement of the study. Written informed consent was obtained from individual participants after a careful explanation of the study. Samples for spot urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio were collected for analysis. Results were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)-23 software. Results: The study involved 94 (62.7%) females and 56 (37.3%) males with a mean age of 55.87 ± 10.96 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 9.45 ± 6.94 years and 56 (37.3%) have had diabetes for 6–10 years. The mean urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) was 153.54 ± 146.28 mg/g, with 66.7% having values between 30 and 299 mg/g while 15.3% had values ≥ 300 mg/g. The prevalence of albuminuria was 82% among participants. The relationship between the duration of Type 2 DM and UACR categories was not statistically significant, with P = 0.473. Conclusion: Routine screening for albuminuria in type 2 DM patients will improve health outcomes.