Microalbuminuria in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objective: Microalbuminuria could be detected in patients with acute stroke. However, the association between microalbuminuria and the severity of ischemic stroke has not been systematically investigated. This study aimed to systematically explore the prevalence of microalbuminuria in ischemic stroke patients, and the association of microalbuminuria with the severity of ischemic stroke, as well as the prognostic value of microalbuminuria in cerebral infarction patients. Methods: 160 ischemic stroke patients and 54 controls were enrolled and clinical characteristics were recorded. Severity of stroke was assessed by NIHSS score at admission, and outcome was measured using mRS score. The concentration of urinary microalbumin was collected for each participant. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between microalbuminuria and the severity of ischemic stroke, and logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the prognostic value of microalbuminuria in ischemic stroke patients. Results: The incidence of microalbuminuria in ischemic stroke patients was 36.88%. The concentration of urinary microalbumin increased with the increasing of cerebral infarction size, and was independently correlated with NIHSS score at admission and mRS score at 3 months after onset. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, microalbuminuria was one of the independent risk factors for poor prognosis of cerebral infarction patients. Conclusions: MAU was found in approximately one-third of patients with acute ischemic stroke. It was correlated with the severity of cerebral infarction at admission and clinical outcomes at 3 months after onset and could be used as a potential indicator of poor prognosis in ischemic stroke patients.