Black teens at early risk of kidney damagePublished: March 3, 2008 at 1:09 AM
AUGUSTA, Ga., March 3 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests African-American teens may have kidney damage even before high blood pressure has developed.
The study, published in Hypertension, found black teens had a 10 percent higher rate than white teens of albumin in urine. Albumin is a protein known as an early indicator of kidney dysfunction in adults.
"Microalbuminuria, excessive amounts of albumin in the urine, is a common problem among diabetics," study leader Dr. Gregory Harshfield of Medical College of Georgia said in a statement. "For that reason, the few studies that have looked at adolescent patients have been focused on sick populations and even fewer have examined the phenomenon in healthy adolescents."
The study subjects -- 317 healthy teens ages 15 to 18 -- were placed on a three-day sodium-controlled diet prior to testing on day four. Testing consisted of a two-hour baseline period, a one-hour stress period and a two-hour post-stress period.
Urine samples were obtained at the end of each hour. Levels of microalbumin were determined following the first-hour baseline period.
The higher levels correspond to a tendency to retain sodium after stress, Harshfield said. Sodium retention is normal during stress but should normalize after the stressor has passed, Harshfield added.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/03/03/black_teens_at_early_risk_of_kidney_damage/8557/
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