System for Microalbuminuria Screening

A new point-of-care (POC) system is designed for the quantitative determination of microalbuminuria, and is particularly suitable for use by clinicians to screen diabetes patients for early signs of kidney failure.

Microalbuminuria is an important predictor for the future development of diabetic nephropathy and cardiovascular disease. Diabetic nephropathy, or kidney failure, is one of the most serious and most expensive complications of diabetes. Microalbuminuria is the first clinical evidence of renal dysfunction and an indication of disease progression. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends annual microalbuminuria screening for individuals with type 1 diabetes after five years of disease duration. Annual screening for individuals with type 2 diabetes is recommended from the time of diagnosis.

The POC system includes a portable analyzer and disposable cuvettes containing freeze-dried reagents with anti-human albumin antibodies. The sample is drawn into the cuvette by capillary action, placed in the analyzer, and mixed through vibration. The immunochemical reaction is complete within 90 seconds. The measuring range is 10-150 mg/l, and the analyzer requires 15 microliters of a spot or timed urine collection.

The system was developed by HemoCue (Lake Forest, CA, USA), which produces and markets medical products for POC testing. The company's products are distributed in more than 100 countries worldwide.




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