Microalbuminuria Is Common in Japanese Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Previous studies have reported a marked variation in the prevalence of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients ranging from 7 to 47% (1–13). The variation could arise from ethnic/genetic differences in susceptibility (3–11) and from methodological issues for investigating the prevalence, such as small-sized populations (3,12,13); single clinic–based studies (8,12); use of the dipstick method instead of quantitative determinations (4,5); or only a single measurement of urinary albumin excretion (UAE) (3–13), whereas multiple measurements have been recommended for years (14). In terms of investigating the prevalence of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients, we performed this study with the aim of investigating patients with a specific ethnicity (i.e., Japanese). The study had a large-sized population, a nationwide multicenter-based design, and a high proportion of data availability for clinical variables and for multiple measurements of UAE. A cross-sectional study was conducted that included 29 medical clinics (i.e., general practitioners) or general/university-affiliated hospitals from different areas in Japan, using the same software to incorporate patient records, as a working study group. Known as the Japan Diabetes Clinical Data Management Study Group (15), this group consists of medical doctors who volunteered to dedicate daily standard clinical work to scientific analysis. The study was performed …