Microalbuminuria and intima-media thickness of the carotid artery in clinically healthy men

Microalbuminuria has been shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease in different populations. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanism behind this observation is not known. The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the relation of microalbuminuria to intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery in a group of 368 clinically healthy 58-year old men. Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and IMT of the common carotid artery were measured. Body mass index, WHR, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and common carotid artery IMT were associated with UAE. A stepwise forward multiple regression showed that systolic blood pressure and WHR could explain 10.4% of the variability in log UAE (systolic blood pressure beta-coefficient 0.0047, SE 0.001, P<0.001; WHR beta-coefficient 0.93, SE 0.30, P=0.002). In conclusion, UAE was significantly associated with IMT of the common carotid artery in clinically healthy men. However, after adjustment for systolic blood pressure and WHR this association was not significant. We suggest that microalbuminuria in healthy subjects is not primarily associated with atherosclerosis but rather to blood pressure and abdominal obesity.