Daniel Pella, Viola Mechírová
The importance of renal function as both a marker of and risk factor for cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized. This link is apparent even in the earliest stages of renal dysfunction, at levels that are conventionally considered “normal“. These findings are of considerable importance due to increasing prevalence of so called high-normal levels of albuminuria in the general population as well. Microalbuminuria is surprisingly prevalent, even in patients without common comorbidities that are conventionally thought to cause nephropathy. Therapeutic interventions to preserve renal and cardiovascular function, such as with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists, are highly effective, particularly in those patients that have reduced glomerular filtration power. That is why intervention and prevention could be aimed at not only reducing conventional risk markers, but also at reducing albuminuria.