Evaluation of Proteinuria in Diabetic Patients Attending Gitwe District Hospital

Background: Proteinuria is a serious condition in which body proteins leak into urine due to kidney dysfunction nearly always caused by elevated serum glucose due to prolonged diabetes. Proteinuria occurs and affects individuals with diabetes, approximately 25% of diabetic patients may have proteinuria. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the levels of serum glucose and proteins in urine and their association in diabetic patients attending Gitwe District Hospital. Methodology: The study population mainly comprised of diabetic patients, 110 study participants were included. Blood was drawn from finger for testing serum glucose using glucometer and urine samples were collected from diabetic patients and samples were analyzed in parasitology service using urine chemistry strips for proteins in urine testing. Results: During data analysis, SPSS version 22 was used, the majority were female with 66.4% while 33.6% were male. The highest frequency of participants presented in this study were 27(24.6%) found in [43-52] years old. The mean age was 53 years ± 13.882 SD (ranged from 23 to 86 years). 53.7% had normal serum glucose level while 46.3% had high serum glucose level. However, 63.6% had no proteinuria while 20.0% had trace, 11.8% had mild and 4.6% had moderate proteinuria levels. Association between serum glucose and proteinuria was analyzed for statistical significance with Chi-square test and it was statistically significant as their p values were below 0.05(P-value of 0.000). Conclusion: The study found that high serum glucose level leads to the presence of proteins in the urine. This study recommends regular monitoring of serum glucose levels, as well as routine urine tests to detect proteinuria as essential components of diabetes management and other researchers to study the effects of proteinuria in diabetic patients. Keywords: Proteinuria, serum glucose, proteins, diabetic patients