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Protein:creatinine ratio in random urine samples is a reliable marker of increased 24-hour protein excretion in hospitalized women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Leaños-Miranda A, Márquez-Acosta J, Romero-Arauz F, Cárdenas-Mondragón GM, Rivera-Leaños R, Isordia-Salas I, Ulloa-Aguirre A

Research Unit in Reproductive Medicine and Hypertensive Diseases of Pregnancy Clinic, Hospital de Ginecología y Obstetricia "Luis Castelazo Ayala", Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F. México. alfredolm@yahoo.com

BACKGROUND: The protein:creatinine ratio in random, untimed urine samples correlates with 24-h protein excretion in pregnant women with and without hypertension. Nevertheless, whether this ratio is appropriate as a screening test for proteinuria is still unclear, in part because of the paucity of large studies. METHODS: We measured protein:creatinine ratios in random urine samples and protein contents of 24-h urine samples in a cross-sectional study of 927 hospitalized pregnant women at >/=20-weeks of gestational age and in a 2nd cohort of 161 pregnant women. In the 2nd group, urine specimens were obtained before and after completion of the 24-h collections, avoiding 1st-morning void specimens. RESULTS: Protein excretion was >/=300 mg/24 h in 282 patients (30.4%). The urine protein:creatinine ratio and the 24-h protein excretion were significantly correlated (r = 0.98, P <0.001). The protein:creatinine ratio as an indicator of protein excretion >/=300 mg/24 h was >/=0.3. The sensitivity and specificity were 98.2% and 98.8%, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 97.2% and 99.2%, respectively, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were 79.2 and 0.02, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the urinary protein:creatinine ratio was corroborated in the 2nd cohort of patients, which also showed no statistically significant difference in protein:creatinine ratio between samples obtained >24 h apart. CONCLUSIONS: Random urinary protein:creatinine ratio is a reliable indicator of significant proteinuria (>300 mg/day) in nonambulatory pregnant women, irrespective of sampling time during the daytime. The protein:creatinine ratio may be reasonably used as an alternative to the 24-h urine collection method.

Published 22 August 2007 in Clin Chem, 53(9): 1623-8.
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