Prevalence of Proteinuria and its Association with Glycemic Control Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Chennai

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with kidney complications, and urinary protein excretion can be assessed using a spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR). Aim: To estimate the prevalence of proteinuria and examine its association with glycemic control and selected clinical parameters among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending a tertiary care hospital in Chennai. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. HbA1c was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Blood urea, serum creatinine, urine protein, and urine creatinine were measured using a Beckman Coulter AU480 analyzer. UPCR was calculated as urine protein divided by urine creatinine, with both concentrations measured in mg/dL; the resulting ratio was expressed as mg/mg. Results: Women comprised 62% of participants and men 38%. Mean HbA1c was 8.06 ± 1.01%. The mean UPCR was 2.00 ± 2.45 mg/mg. Using the study cutoff of ≥0.3 mg/mg, 38 participants (76%) were classified as having proteinuria and 12 (24%) were below the cutoff. Pearson correlation analysis showed positive correlations between UPCR and duration of diabetes (r=0.717, p<0.001), blood urea (r=0.629, p<0.001), and serum creatinine (r=0.638, p<0.001). The correlation between UPCR and HbA1c was positive (r=0.375, p=0.007) but did not meet the prespecified significance threshold of p<0.005. Conclusion: In this sample, 76% of participants had UPCR values at or above the study cutoff. The findings suggest associations between UPCR and duration of diabetes and renal function parameters; interpretation depends on the validity of the selected cutoff and the cross-sectional study design.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus; proteinuria; urine protein-to-creatinine ratio; HbA1c; renal function

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