Urinary albumin excretion is associated with the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery in hypertensive males with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between urinary albumin excretion and ultrasonographically assessed morphology of the common carotid artery in hypertensive men with and without non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

An outpatient clinic in a city hospital.

PATIENTS

Hypertensive male patients (n = 25) with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic hypertensive male patients (n = 94) aged 50-72 years, randomly selected from a larger study group.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Overnight urinary albumin excretion and B-mode ultrasound examinations of the carotid artery.

RESULTS

Among the diabetic patients the logarithm of the overnight urinary albumin excretion was independently and significantly associated with the common carotid artery intima-media thickness, which was also true after adjustment for concomitant cardiovascular disease. In the non-diabetic group there was no association between intima-media thickness and urinary albumin excretion. No relationship between the occurrence of plaque and urinary albumin excretion was observed in any of the study groups. The results were reproducible at a re-examination after 3 years using the same methods.

CONCLUSION

Among the hypertensive men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, an independent and significant relationship, reproducible after 3 years, was found between urinary albumin excretion and the intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery. No such relationship was found in the group of non-diabetic hypertensive males.