A new urine albumin measurement technique combining the precision of laboratory systems with the convenience of POC technology offers a solution to microalbuminuria screening
From just a 15µl sample and in only 90 seconds, the HemoCue urine albumin analyser provides results almost at the touch of a button.
Specially designed microcuvettes take up precisely the sample required and are inserted into the portable photometer where the dry reagents and sample are mixed by vibration.
Once the antigen-antibody immunochemical reaction is complete, the turbidity, which is proportional to albumin concentration, is measured photometrically at 610nm and results are displayed in mg/l.
QC parameters are said to be excellent: the system is factory calibrated against standard reference material with liquid QC material provided, and the analyser has an internal electronic self-test to verify the performance of the optronic unit at every use.
Microalbuminuria is the earliest clinical evidence of nephropathy and a marker of greatly increased cardiovascular morbidity in patients suffering from diabetes or hypertension.
It is also an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the absence of these conditions. However, the measurement of urine albumin excretion is problematic - a large diurnal variation requires multiple tests performed over time and a reliance on central laboratory testing reduces the flexibility of test protocols.
Improved measurement techniques are in line with the Government's new National Service Framework for Diabetes that aims to "develop, implement and monitor strategies to identify diabetes" and to "minimise the impact of the long-term complications by early detection and effective treatment".
Early detection of microalbuminuria will reduce the impact of further deterioration through early treatment, and the benefits of the HemoCue analyser - fast, easy and accurate operations - provide the flexibility needed to quickly identify those individuals at risk and to monitor existing patients.
