Screening of Indian Patients with Diabetes for Detection of Microalbuminuria using Dipstick Test: A Retrospective Observational Study

Context: Microalbuminuria (MAU) is an early indicator of kidney damage in uncontrolled diabetes linked with elevated cardiovascular and renal risks. Aims: This study aims to determine the prevalence of MAU and identify clinical predictors in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Settings and Design: A retrospective, multicenter analysis of clinical records from 2600 diabetes centers across India, conducted during the “World Diabetes Day” campaign (November 14–30, 2022). Materials and Methods: Clinical records of 63,570 T2DM patients screened using Micral ® test for MAU were analyzed. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and clinical parameters were collected. Statistical Analysis Used: The statistical analyses were conducted using R Studio Version 2022.07.2. Results: MAU prevalence was 36.9% ( n = 17,275). The mean age of patients was 54.8 ± 11.9 years, with 64% being male. Key predictors included hemoglobin A1c (odds ratio [OR] = 1.18, P < 0.001), diabetes duration (OR = 1.04, P < 0.001), hypertension duration (OR = 1.03, P < 0.001), and diastolic BP (OR = 1.01, P < 0.001). Males had slightly lower odds of MAU compared to females (OR = 0.96, P = 0.198). Conclusions: Four out of ten patients with type 2 diabetes suffered from MAU in our study. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to screen every diabetes patient in clinical practice to detect early signs of kidney damage.