For the study, researchers, led by Dr. Giuseppe Remuzzi, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Bergamo, followed more than 1200 type 2 diabetes patients for an average of about nine years, and examined the relationship between their albumin levels and heart problems. The results were that any amount of measurable albumin excretion in the urine, even if it was within the normal range, was associated with significant heart risks, and the rising levels of albumin correlated with rising levels of risk of heart problems.
There was also a subgroup of patients who took ACE inhibitors (high blood pressure drugs) from the start of the study and throughout the follow-up period, and the researchers discovered no link between albumin excretion levels and heart risks in this group.
The levels of protein albumin in urine increase because of the kidney problems that some diabetes patients have, and this is known as albuminuria. However, this only affects a minority of diabetics, and 90% of patients with type 2 diabetes have normal urinary albumin levels. Yet, because the researchers discovered that any indication of urinary albumin could lead to heart problems, and the subgroup of patients on ACE inhibitors showed such promising results, the team argued that ACE inhibitors could potentially protect diabetes patients with albuminuria and those with normal albumin levels from heart problems.
However, the authors of the study noted that the study only proved an association between albuminuria and heart troubles, and not a cause and effect relationship. Also, the researchers warned that before doctors can treat or prevent diabetes-related heart problems with heart-protective drugs, further research is needed to determine how high the levels of albumin excretion in your urine needs to be in order to qualify for the treatment.