Prevalence of Albuminuria in a General Population Cohort of Patients with Established Chronic Heart Failure

Background Numerous studies have reported an association between albuminuria and adverse outcomes in adults with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the prevalence of albuminuria in adults with established CHF remains unclear. Methods and Results This study was a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2012. Adults aged ≥18 years were included, and diagnosis of CHF was based on participant self-report. The primary outcome was the prevalence of microalbuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio 30-300 mg/g) and macroalbuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio >300 mg/g) in adults with CHF. The secondary outcome was the adjusted odds ratio of any albuminuria in adults with and without CHF. During the study period, 37,961 adults did not have CHF and 1,214 adults had CHF. In adults with CHF, 22.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.6%-24.7%) had microalbuminuria and 10.4% (95% CI 8.1%-12.7%) macroalbuminuria. In adjusted analyses, the odds of albuminuria in adults with CHF was 1.89-fold higher (95% CI 1.59-2.26; P <.001) than in adults without CHF. Conclusions Taken together, albuminuria is more common in adults with CHF than in those without CHF, even after adjustment for important demographic and clinical confounders.