Correlation of Serum Urea, Creatinine and Urinary Microalbumin in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Western, Nepal: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders where glucose is underused, producing hyperglycemia, which is associated with renal dysfunction. Abnormal renal function is indicated by an abnormality in various biochemical parameters, among them serum urea, creatinine, and urinary microalbumin. In diabetic mellitus, these mentioned markers are usually correlated with the severity of kidney damage. Objective: The objectives of the studies were to compare the level and direction of urea, microalbumin, and other study parameters such as creatinine and serum glucose among diabetic and non-diabetic individuals in Butwal, Nepal. Materials and Method: This was a cross-sectional comparative study of type-2 diabetic and non-diabetic individuals who came to the National Path Lab (A-grade reference lab) in Butwal sub-metropolitan area, Rupandehi, for routine blood tests. A total of 100 samples were collected using the simple random sampling method, and study parameters were determined using standard laboratory protocols. Results: Among the studied samples, 40 were diabetic and 60 were not. The mean SD of serum urea, creatinine, and urine microalbumin for diabetic patients was 53.50 7.68, 1.71 0.23, and 33.0 8.25, respectively, and 20.60 5.12, 0.73 0.19, and 11.73 4.517, respectively, for non-diabetic individuals. There were correlations between serum urea, creatinine, and urinary microalbumin among the diabetic patients. The r-values of urea, creatinine, and microalbumin were 0.703, 0.572, and 0.674, respectively. It is also statistically significant in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals (p-value 0.001) with serum urea, creatinine, and urinary microalbumin. Conclusion: This study suggested that there were correlations between serum urea, creatinine, and urinary microalbumin in diabetic patients and a statistically insignificant relationship between urinary microalbumin and serum creatinine in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals among various age groups in the study population. Key words: Creatinine, Diabetes mellitus, Diabetic Nephropathy, Microalbumin, Urea