Microalbuminuria in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a global pandemic with cases reporting from virtually every country and continues to be a common infection in developing country like India. Microalbuminuria is a manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy. Therefore, microalbuminuria may be an early marker of human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy, and screening for its presence may be beneficial. A strikingly high prevalence of microalbuminuria among human immunodeficiency virus infected patients has been described in various studies. Risk factors for clinically significant proteinuria include African American race, higher human immunodeficiency virus ribonucleic acid level and lower CD4 lymphocyte count. The cardiovascular risk factors of increased systolic blood pressure and increase fasting blood sugar level are strongly associated with microalbuminuria in human immunodeficiency virus patient. These results suggest that microalbuminuria may be a sign of current endothelial dysfunction and micro-vascular disease and there is substantial risk of future cardiovascular disease events. Positive contributing factors include early kidney disease such as human immunodeficiency virus associated nephropathy, a marker of end organ damage related to co morbidities of diabetes or hypertension, or more diffuse endothelial cells dysfunction. Nevertheless after adjustment for non human immunodeficiency virus factors, human immunodeficiency virus itself is a major risk factor. The presence of human immunodeficiency virus infection is independent risk to develop microalbuminuria in human immunodeficiency virus patient. Cardiovascular risk factors appeared to be stronger predictors of microalbuminuria than markers of human immunodeficiency virus severity person with human immunodeficiency virus infection and microalbuminuria therefore appear to potentially bear the burden of two separate damage related to known vascular end organ damage related to know vascular risk factors, and human immunodeficiency virus specific processes such as the direct viral infection of kidney cells.The higher prevalence of microalbuminuria among the human immunodeficiency virus infected could be harbinger of future increased risks of both kidney and cardiovascular disease. Further study defining the prognostic significance of microalbuminuria among human immunodeficiency virus infected persons will be essential. Microalbuminuria seems to be a predictor of cardiovascular disease in diabetic and non diabetic subjects, hence it can also be used for early detection of micro vascular disease in human immunodeficiency virus positive patients, thus can help to diagnose the disease at the earliest. Sharan Badiger, Professor, is with Department of Medicine, Sri. B.M.Patil Medical College,BLDE University, Bijapur-586103,Karnataka,India, (e-mail: sharanrb@ rediffmail.com). Prema T. Akkasaligar, Associate Professor, is with Department of Computer Science and Engineering, B.L.D.E.A’s Dr.P.G.H.Engineering College,Bijapur-586103,Karnataka, India,(e-mail: [email protected]). Manish Patel, Junior Resident, is with Department of Medicine, of BLDE University’s Sri. B.M.Patil Medical College, Bijapur-586103, Karnataka,India. Patil LS, Professor, is with Department of Medicine, of BLDE University’s Sri.B.M.Patil MedicalCollege,-586103, Karnataka, India. Biradar MS, Professor and Head, is with Department of Medicine, of BLDE University’s Sri.B.M.Patil Medical College,-586103, Karnataka, India. Keywords—Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Human immunodeficiency virus, Microalbuminuria.