In a study of lab results from 810,000 Canadian men and women, researchers from University of Calgary have found that higher levels of protein in the urine are associated with reduced life expectancy. The scientists determined that men aged 40 without proteinuria would outlive those with heavy proteinuria by 15.2 years and those with mild proteinuria by 8.2 years. 40-year-old women without proteinuria were projected to outlive those with heavy proteinuria, by 17.4 years and those with mild proteinuria by 10.5 years. The individuals in the study did not have kidney failure, but they may have had kidney disease risk factors—diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease—that warranted proteinuria testing.
Based on the results, medical experts from the NKF suggest that proteinuria screening for those at risk of kidney disease could result in timely interventions and longer lives for these patients.
Sources:
Protein in the Urine Linked to Life Expectancy, Medical News Today, April 3, 2013
Proteinuria and Life Expectancy, AJKD, April 2013