Association between abnormal urinary microalbumin and obesity among adults in Suzhou city

Objective To investigate the association between abnormal urinary microalbumin and indexes of obesity among adults.Methods Using multistage cluster random sampling,2 889 permanent residents aged 30 years and older were selected from 8 communities in Jichang district of Suzhou city for a questionnaire surrey and physical examination.Height,weight,blood pressure,waist and hip circumference(WC)were measured and and information on cigarette smoking,alcohol intake,and salt consumption were collected.Serum uric acid,urinary albumin,urinary creatinine,total cholesterol,and triglyceride were tested among the residents.Association between the elevated level of urinary microalbumin and the indexes of obesity was analyzed by using logistic regression model.Results The mean levels of body mass index(BMI),WC,and waist to hip ratio(WHR)in the group with elevated urinary microalbumin were higher than those in the normal group(BMI:25.3 vs. 24.4,WC:84.0 vs. 82.0,WHR:0.88 vs. 0.87).The prevalence of obesity defined according to BMI,WC and WHR showed significant differences between the two groups of different microalbumin(P<0.05).After multivariable adjustment,the elevated BMI and WHR levels also increased the risk of higher urinary microalbumin,with the odds ratios(ORs)of 1.610 and 1.349,respectively.Compared to normal BMI and WHR groups,the group with both higher WHR and BMI had a higher risk of elevated urinary microalbumin,with the OR of 1.937(95% confidence interval:1.370-2.740).Conclusion Obesity is a risk factor for elevated urinary microalbumin among adults.