Markers for cardiovascular and renal morbidity: expectations for an intervention programme in an Australian aboriginal community.

1. Australian Aborigines have high rates of both cardiovascular mortality and renal failure and the usual male dominance in these conditions is respectively reduced and effaced. 2. In one Aboriginal community, we have demonstrated a strong association between albuminuria and cardiovascular risk factors and a relationship of both with insulin resistance, which is more pronounced in females than males. 3. We propose that albuminuria is a component of Syndrome X and that reduction in levels of albuminuria should prove to be a useful marker of effectiveness in treatment programmes targeting cardiovascular risk as well as renal disease.