Microalbumin for early detection of kidney disease

An immediate indication of the presence of microalbumin in urine can be conveniently obtained using a testing strips which take just 60 seconds to provide results in the form of a simple colour change

A range of point of care testing methods for the screening and management of microalbuminuria is now available from Bayer Diagnostics, providing immediate access to test results in the patient's presence.

This approach increases the effectiveness of the consultation and helps to improve patient compliance, while also allowing any necessary remedial treatment to be implemented without delay.

In many cases, it also eliminates the need for follow-up consultations.

An immediate indication of the presence of microalbumin in urine can be conveniently obtained using Microalbustix testing strips which take just 60 seconds to provide clearly visible results in the form of a simple colour change.

Microalbustix can detect the presence of microalbumin down to a level of 10mg/l, providing clinicians with a quick, reliable and cost-effective screening tool for patients at risk of kidney disease.

In order to correct for variations in the balance of body fluids, measurement of microalbumin must be referenced against the concentration of creatinine which is excreted at a constant rate in urine.

This is accomplished by calculating the albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) which adjusts for varying urine concentration and eliminates the need to collect timed samples from patients over a 24 hour period.

Such 24 hour collections are inconvenient for patients and can easily be compromised through non-compliance.

As a welcome alternative, measurement of ACR can now be accomplished quickly and easily in the patient's presence using Bayer's Clinitek Status urine chemistry analyser which automates the reading of colour changes in test strips, providing reliable semi-quantitative results.

Fully quantitative ACR results can be obtained at the point of care using Bayer's DCA 2000+ urine chemistry analyser which obtains precise measurements from a small random urine sample.

A microalbumin detection limit of 5mg/l allows the test to be used for screening purposes and also for the management of patients who are known to have kidney disease.

Microalbuminuria is an accepted predictive marker for early detection of kidney disease and identification of patients at risk for complications of diabetes or hypertension.

Current guidelines from the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) state that all patients with diabetes should be screened annually for microalbuminuria, and this is supported by recommendations in the new General Medical Services Contract for general practitioners and the National Service Framework for Diabetes.

Risk factors for kidney disease include hypertension, diabetes, pre-eclampsia, family history of chronic kidney disease, age over 60 years, and urinary tract infections.

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