Urinary albumin excretion: a predictor of glomerular findings in adults with microscopic haematuria

Background: Microscopic haematuria without proteinuria is a common clinical finding. When urological causes are excluded, usual findings on renal biopsy are IgA nephropathy (which can progress to end-stage renal failure) or thin basement membrane nephropathy (which has an excellent prognosis). A non-invasive test to discriminate between the two would be useful. Aim: To examine the value of measurement of urinary albumin excretion in discriminating glomerular causes of microscopic haematuria in patients without proteinuria on urine dipstick tests. Design: Single-centre retrospective cross-sectional observational study. Methods: Adult patients who underwent renal biopsy for microscopic haematuria over a 6-year period from January 1994 were identified. Study entry required normal renal function, no proteinuria detected by dipstick, and urinary albumin excretion