Urine test strips improve chronic kidney disease detection

A recent study from Belgium demonstrates that urine test strips can help detect chronic kidney disease (CKD) early in low-risk patients. The method focuses on the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), which has shown better results than the protein-to-creatinine ratio (PCR). Researchers analyzed data from two groups of patients. One group had 940 individuals, while the second group included 927 for validation. In both cases, urine samples were collected and analyzed promptly using a fully automated machine. The researchers wanted to see how effective ACR and PCR were for screening CKD. The findings showed that the semi-quantitative ACR test had a sensitivity of 78.1% and specificity of 93.3% at a certain cutoff. This means it correctly identified most people with CKD while minimizing false positives. In the validation group, the ACR's sensitivity improved to 89.9%, and its specificity remained high at 92.1%. The PCR test had lower sensitivity but good specificity. The study indicates that urine test strips can be a useful tool for screening CKD. The authors recommend using ACR as the preferred method when testing for protein in urine. They believe this could help in early diagnosis and better management of kidney health. Limitations of the study include the need for more validation of the results obtained from the test strips. The authors stated that no specific funding was received for the research and disclosed no competing interests.