Prevalence and associations of moderately increased albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes in United Arab Emirates

Background and aims: Our study sought to investigate the prevalence of moderately increased albuminuria in United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals with type 2 diabetes, and to identify the associated factors. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in two hundred and seven UAE nationals with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending the internal medicine department of a secondary care hospital. Moderately increased albuminuria was estimated in random spot urine samples and was defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) of 3–30 mg/mmoL. Prevalence and associations of moderately increased albuminuria were evaluated. Results: The study population had a mean UACR of 7.2 ± 10.2 mg/mmoL with mean eGFR of 94.5 ± 11.7 mL/min/1.73 m². Prevalence of moderately increased albuminuria in our study population was found to be 44.0%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that duration of diabetes (OR:1.72, 95% CI:1.34–2.19; p<0.001), presence of hypertension (OR:3.42, 95% CI:0.96–12.20; p=0.050) and neuropathy (OR:2.85, 95% CI:1.03–7.84; p=0.042), BMI (OR:1.08, 95% CI:1.01–1.16; p=0.019), HbA1c (OR:1.39, 95% CI:1.00–1.93; p=0.045), CRP (OR:1.10, 95% CI:1.00–1.22; p=0.035), serum creatinine (OR:1.04, 95% CI:1.02–1.06; p<0.001) and HDL-C (OR:0.10, 95% CI:0.01–0.28; p<0.001) were independently correlated with moderately increased albuminuria. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that duration of diabetes, HbA1c, CRP and serum creatinine were independent predictors of UACR. Conclusion: We report a high prevalence of moderately increased albuminuria in UAE nationals with type 2 diabetes in a secondary care setting. Routine screening and timely management of moderately increased albuminuria in type 2 diabetes mellitus can lead to better patient outcomes.