Trace Albumin in the Urine Dipstick Test is Associated with Coronary Artery Calcification in Korean Adults.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Albuminuria is a risk factor for coronary artery calcification (CAC) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the urine dipstick test is widely used to screen albuminuria, little is known about the association between low-grade urine dipstick albumin and CAC. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the trace of urine dipstick albumin and CAC in Korean adults.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 45,006 participants without previous CVD, who underwent coronary computed tomography and urine dipstick test from 2012 to 2014 as part of a health examination program in Korea. CAC was defined as coronary artery calcium score > 100. Participants were divided into 3 groups based on urine dipstick albumin results as follows: negative (-), trace (±), and positive (+1 to +4).

RESULTS: The numbers of participants with CAC were 800 (2.0%), 111 (2.8%), and 33 (4.9%) for the negative, trace, and positive groups respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, albuminuria determined with urine dipstick test was associated with CAC after adjustment for various cardiovascular risk factors. Compared with the negative group, the OR for CAC was 1.62 (1.08-2.42) in the positive group and 1.34 (1.07-1.66) in the trace group.

CONCLUSION: Even a trace level of albumin in the urine dipstick test was associated with subclinical CAC in Korean adults. Low-grade dipstick albuminuria should not be overlooked.