Dipstick proteinuria and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Abstract

Background: Proteinuria has been recognized as a marker of systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction associated with insulin resistance and β-cell impairment, which can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is unknown whether the dipstick proteinuria test has a predictive value for new-onset T2DM.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 239,287 non-diabetic participants who participated in the Korean nationwide health screening program in 2009-2010. Proteinuria was determined by the urine dipstick test at the baseline health screening. We performed multivariate Cox proportional regression analyses for the development of new-onset T2DM. Follow-up was performed until December 2015.

Results: During the mean follow-up period of 5.73 years, 22,215 participants were diagnosed with new-onset T2DM. The presence of proteinuria was significantly associated with an increased risk of T2DM (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.10, 1.29). There was a positive dose-response relationship between the degree of dipstick proteinuria and T2DM risk. This significant association between proteinuria and T2DM risk was consistent regardless of the fasting glucose level at baseline.

Conclusions: Dipstick proteinuria is a significant risk factor for new-onset T2DM. Therefore, proteinuria might be a useful biomarker to identify those at a high risk for developing T2DM.