Q: How can microalbuminuria be kept under control in a diabetic patient? What are the alerting values and symptoms of microalbuminuria? What are the normal values of microalbuminuria for an adult above 50 years of age? What are the causes which contribute to atherosclerosis and how can we detect it?

A:The presence of microalbuminuria does not cause any symptoms. There is no specific treatment, but it is very important to keep your blood pressure well controlled if it is raised above 130/80. As you rightly observed, it is a risk factor for vascular disease: the chief risk factors otherwise include smoking, a high blood pressure and a high blood cholesterol or other lipid fractions. Microalbuminuria is defined as either a urinary albumin greater than 20 mg/l or an albumin/creatinine ratio of greater than 3.5.