Publication:

Evaluation of random urine sample protein: creatinine ratio as an index of 24 hour urine protein in patients with various renal disorders in tertiary care center

Background Commonly used methods to measure protein are 24 hours urine collection, which is time consuming cumbersome and often in accurate, the other method, infrequently used, is estimation of proteinuria from protein-creatinine ratio. The objective of the study was to compare spot urine protein-creatinine ratio with 24 hours urine protein as an index of quantitative proteinuria.

Methods 110 patients with persistent dipstick positive proteinuria with varying degrees of renal dysfunction were included in this study. First morning spot urine sample were used to estimate protein creatinine ratio and then 24 hours urine protein estimation was done and compared.

Results There was significant correlation between 24 hours urine protein and protein creatinine ratio (r = 0.70) (P<0.01) However maximum correlation was in patients with normal or mild renal dysfunction and non nephrotic range proteinuria (r = 0.92) (p<0.01).

Conclusions Protein creatinine ratio in a spot morning urine sample is a precise indicator of proteinuria and represents a simple and inexpensive procedure in establishing severity of proteinuria.