Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Data by Urinary Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio Quartile
| Characteristic | All patients (N=144) | Q1 (N=35) | Q2 (N=37) | Q3 (N=36) | Q4 (N=36) | P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UACR (mg/g) | <7.0 | 7.0–16.5 | 16.5–94.5 | >94.5 | ||
|
| ||||||
| Age (years) | 66±11 | 67±10 | 65±10 | 69±13 | 64±9 | 0.38 |
| Female | 89 (62) | 27 (77) | 21 (62) | 21 (58) | 19 (53) | 0.11 |
| Race | ||||||
| White | 66 (46) | 16 (46) | 22 (65) | 12 (33) | 16 (44) | 0.41 |
| Black | 60 (42) | 12 (34) | 11 (32) | 19 (53) | 15 (42) | 0.58 |
| Other | 18 (13) | 7 (20) | 1 (3) | 5 (14) | 5 (14) | 0.67 |
| NYHA class | 0.40‡ | |||||
| I | 6 (4) | 2 (6) | 1 (3) | 2 (6) | 1 (3) | |
| II | 55 (38) | 16 (46) | 15 (44) | 10 (28) | 13 (36) | |
| III | 83 (58) | 17 (49) | 18 (53) | 24 (67) | 22 (61) | |
| Comorbidities | ||||||
| Coronary artery disease | 72 (50) | 14 (40) | 15 (44) | 21 (58) | 22 (61) | 0.07 |
| Hypertension | 129 (90) | 29 (83) | 31 (91) | 33 (92) | 33 (92) | 0.46 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 104 (72) | 22 (63) | 27 (79) | 24 (67) | 28 (78) | 0.33 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 65 (45) | 11 (31) | 13 (38) | 17 (47) | 22 (61) | 0.02 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 56 (39) | 11 (31) | 7 (21) | 13 (36) | 24 (67) | <0.001† |
| Smoker | 56 (39) | 17 (49) | 9 (26) | 19 (53) | 10 (28) | 0.18 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 36 (25) | 4 (11) | 8 (24) | 13 (36) | 10 (28) | 0.19 |
| Obesity | 88 (61) | 21 (60) | 23 (68) | 23 (64) | 19 (53) | 0.33 |
| COPD | 66 (46) | 23 (66) | 13 (38) | 14 (39) | 14 (39) | 0.05 |
| Anemia | 69 (48) | 12 (34) | 15 (44) | 16 (44) | 25 (69) | 0.01† |
| Medications | ||||||
| ACE-inhibitor or ARB | 91 (63) | 21 (60) | 19 (56) | 27 (75) | 21 (58) | 0.95 |
| β-blocker | 106 (74) | 25 (71) | 21 (62) | 26 (72) | 32 (89) | 0.02 |
| Calcium channel blocker | 63 (44) | 16 (46) | 13 (38) | 18 (50) | 15 (42) | 0.91 |
| Vasodilators | 23 (16) | 2 (6) | 5 (15) | 4 (11) | 12 (33) | 0.001† |
| Nitrate | 21 (15) | 5 (14) | 2 (6) | 3 (8) | 10 (28) | 0.01† |
| Loop diuretic | 93 (65) | 15 (43) | 19 (56) | 26 (72) | 31 (86) | <0.001† |
| Loop diuretic total daily dose (mg furosemide equivalents)** | 40 (30–80) | 40 (20–50) | 40 (40–60) | 60 (20–80) | 80 (40–80) | <0.001† |
| Thiazide diuretic | 37 (26) | 11 (31) | 8 (24) | 10 (28) | 7 (19) | 0.37 |
| No diuretic | 25 (17) | 11 (31) | 7 (19) | 4 (11) | 3 (8) | 0.01† |
| Statin | 88 (61) | 16 (46) | 21 (62) | 22 (61) | 28 (78) | 0.005† |
| Aspirin | 63 (44) | 11 (31) | 13 (38) | 17 (47) | 22 (61) | 0.01 |
| Heart rate (beats per minute) | 71±13 | 67±11 | 72±10 | 69±13 | 74±16 | 0.02 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 128±19 | 123±16 | 129±17 | 127±19 | 131±23 | 0.06 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 71±12 | 69±9 | 75±12 | 71±12 | 70±16 | 0.97 |
| Pulse pressure (mmHg) | 56±16 | 54±13 | 54±14 | 57±16 | 60±18 | 0.02 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 35±10 | 33±8 | 35±9 | 35±10 | 34±12 | 0.81 |
| Weight (kg) | 97±31 | 90±26 | 102±32 | 97±26 | 100±36 | 0.61 |
| Serum sodium (mEq/l) | 139±3 | 139±3 | 139±2 | 138±3 | 138±3 | 0.07 |
| Blood urea nitrogen (mg/dl) | 25±16 | 23±15 | 18±7 | 26±17 | 33±17 | <0.001† |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.4±0.8 | 1.1±0.3 | 1.1±0.3 | 1.4±0.5 | 1.9±1.3 | <0.001† |
| Estimated GFR (ml/min/1.73m2) | 58±23 | 61±20 | 70±20 | 55±23 | 45±23 | <0.001† |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dl) | 134±70 | 115±50 | 130±65 | 145±77 | 144±80 | 0.09 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 12.0±1.9 | 12.5±1.7 | 12.4±1.7 | 11.8±2.1 | 11.2±1.8 | 0.002† |
| B-type natriuretic peptide (pg/ml)** | 171 (72–433) | 92 (20–247) | 115 (65–197) | 290 (92–577) | 410 (145–999) | <0.001† |
*
P-value by linear trend across UACR quartiles using linear regression for continuous variables and logistic regression for categorical variables
**
Values expressed as median (25th–75th percentile)
†
Remains significant after correction using false discovery rate < 5%
‡
P-value by ordered logistic regression against log-transformed UACR
UACR = urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio; NYHA = New York Heart Association; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ACE = angiotensin converting enzyme; ARB = angiotensin receptor blocker; GFR = glomerular filtration rate