Urine tests could be incorporated into analysing heart
disease risk.
Image: iStockphoto

The relationship between indicators of kidney dysfunction and coronary heart disease has been clearly established for the first time, suggesting that kidney disease markers should be incorporated into the assessment of an individual’s cardiovascular risk.

'Proteinuria' and 'albuminuria' are the presence of proteins in the urine that may be a signal of damage to, or disease of, the kidneys. One in 20 adults have such markers, and although they have previously been reported to be associated with coronary heart disease, the consistency and strength of the relationship between the two was not clearly defined.

In a new systematic review and meta-analysis of previously published cohort studies, George Institute researchers have shown a strong and continuous association between proteinuria and subsequent risk of coronary heart disease.

The findings of the new analysis suggest that proteinuria should be incorporated into individual cardiovascular risk assessments, say researchers.

Click here to view the paper, published by PLoS Medicine.