A Correlative Study of Micro Albuminuria in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Association With Disease Activity in Thanjavur Medical College, Southern Region

Abstract

BACKGROUND This study was done to assess the subclinical renal involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). To study (1) The prevalence of micro albuminuria in patients having rheumatoid arthritis. (2) The relationship between micro albuminuria and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis as assessed by DAS28, ESR, CRP, RA factor, disease duration and constitutional symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS Descriptive type of cross-sectional study involving 60 patients attending Thanjavur Medical College, Thanjavur, and Rheumatology outpatient department, Thanjavur Medical College, Thanjavur diagnosed with RA by modified ACR criteria (1987). All the patients were tested for micro albuminuria by immunoassay method. RESULTS The mean age at diagnosis was 44.55 years (SD 13.767), females diagnosed at an earlier age than males (43.767 years (SD-14.128) vs. 46.529 years (SD-13.005)). 71.7% were females and 28.3% were males. MA was found in 19 patients (31.7%), of them, 16 patients had morning stiffness lasting for more than one hour, 18 patients had constitutional symptoms, and 10 patients were on treatment with NSAIDs or DMARDs. The mean duration of symptoms was 24.68 ± 12.06 months in MA positive group when compared with MA negative group with a mean value of 14.732 ± 8.093 (p-0.0004). The mean number of swollen joints in MA positive group was 15.89 ± 5.64 as compared to MA negative Group with a mean of 11.76 ± 6.31 (p-0.018). The mean number of tender joints involved in MA positive group was 14.32 ± 6.64 as against 9.76 ± 6.25 in MA negative group (p-0.0125).