Thrombus aspiration is applicable in a large majority of patients with myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, and it results in better reperfusion and clinical outcomes than conventional PCI, irrespective of clinical and angiographic characteristics at baseline. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN16716833.)

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). Microalbuminuria is common, also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population, and an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidity. J Intern Med 2001; 249: 519±526.Objectives. To assess the prevalence of microalbuminuria in the general population, especially in nondiabetic and nonhypertensive subjects, and its association with known cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular morbidity. Design. Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting. Inhabitants of the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. Subjects. All inhabitants, aged between 28 and 75 years, were send a postal questionnaire and a vial to collect an early morning urine sample (n 85 421). Of these 40 856 subjects (47.8%) responded. Cardiovascular risk factors and morbidity were validated in a well de®ned nondiabetic and nonhypertensive group of 5241 subjects. Main outcome measures. Microalbuminuria, selfreported cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular morbidity in the total study cohort, and additionally more detailed measurements in a subset of the total population. Results. Microalbuminuria (20±200 mg L ±1 ) was present in 7.2% of the subjects and independently associated with age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, previous myocardial infarction and stroke. Some of these associations were already observed at albuminuria levels of 10±20 mg L ±1 . After exclusion of the diabetic and hypertensive subjects, microalbuminuria was still prevalent in 6.6% of the subjects.Conclusions. Microalbuminuria appears to be common not only in the general population but also in a nondiabetic, nonhypertensive population and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors and cardio-vascular morbidity. Importantly, some of these associations are present at urinary albumin levels currently considered to be normal. These ®ndings suggest that urinary albumin measurements may be useful in early risk pro®ling and prevention of cardiovascular disease in the population at large.