Microalbuminuria and its relationship with diabetic nephropathy in patients attended at the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social Jipijapa

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus can affect the kidneys and lead to progressive renal failure due to inadequate glycemic control, with microalbuminuria being an early sign of renal damage in diabetic individuals. In the early stages of diabetic nephropathy the kidneys filter small amounts of albumin that would not normally be detected in urine, if uncontrolled and progressive, leading to increased protein loss or proteinuria. The objective of the research was to analyze microalbuminuria and its relationship with diabetic nephropathy in patients treated at the Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social Jipijapa. The methodology was a non-experimental, retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study; the population were patients attended in the period 2021-2024, the sample was composed of participants who were tested for microalbuminuria along with basal glucose being a total of 730. As results, the level of microalbuminuria prevailed mostly in the male gender between the ages of 65-95 years with 31.2% (N=112). In glucose levels, the female gender predominated with 34.8% (N=129) between the ages of 26-64 years who manifested glucose levels >116 mg/dL considered as hyperglycemia. It was concluded that there was a significant relationship between the levels of microalbuminuria and basal glucose, since the highest frequency was found in hyperglycemic patients; therefore, microalbuminuria should not be discarded as an early indicator of diabetic nephropathy together with glycemic control.