Should albuminuria be a focus of antihypertensive therapy goals?

Albuminuria has been recognized as a risk marker for both chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease in large observational cohorts. In addition, post hoc analyses of many large randomized trials have found a positive relationship between albu-minuria and adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes, leading some to suggest that albuminuria may be a potential therapeutic target for antihypertensive treatment. However, direct clinical evidence linking albuminuria reduction to reduction in adverse renal and cardiovascular events is scarce. This paper reviews the evidence in the current literature to address whether albuminuria can be used as a credible predictor of risk for chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease and also reviews the clinical trial evidence to appraise the prospect of using albuminuria as a therapeutic target to prevent adverse renal and cardiovascular events.