Towards an epidemiologic definition of renal disease: Rates and associations of albuminuria in a high-risk Australian Aboriginal community

Abstract

An epidemic of renal failure is accompanying the rising rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among Aborigines in the Northern Territory of Australia. The rates and associations of the underlying renal disease were studied in a remote Aboriginal community whose renal failure rates are among the highest reported in the world. More than 90% of school-age children and adults participated in a health screen, in which the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) was used as the primary renal disease marker. Albuminuria was evident in early childhood and increased dramatically with age; 26% of adults had microalbuminuria and 24% had overt albuminuria. Most hypertension se..