Objectives: To describe the distribution of ACR across eGFR categories and the correlation between ACR and eGFR, thereby clarifying the complementary role of ACR in CKD assessment and describing CKD risk stratification according to KDIGO based on the combination of eGFR and ACR.
Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 475 patients with CKD at Thong Nhat Hospital. The collected variables included age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, serum creatinine, eGFR, urinary albumin, urinary creatinine, and calculated ACR. According to the KDIGO classification, eGFR was categorized into G1 to G5, and albuminuria was categorized into A1, A2, and A3 based on ACR. CKD risk was classified according to KDIGO based on the combination of eGFR and albuminuria categories.
Results: The mean age of the study population was 66.12 ± 11.90 years, and males accounted for 52.84%. The proportions of patients with comorbid diabetes mellitus and hypertension were 90.53% and 71.37%, respectively. The median eGFR was 74.29 mL/min/1.73 m², and the median ACR was 23.41 mg/g. The G1 and G2 categories accounted for the highest proportions, at 30.32% and 33.68%, respectively. According to ACR classification, 46.32% of patients had increased albuminuria, defined as ACR ≥30 mg/g. Among patients in the G1 and G2 eGFR categories, 33.22% had increased albuminuria. According to KDIGO risk stratification, 57.26% of patients were classified as having moderate risk or higher. ACR showed a moderate inverse correlation with eGFR, with a correlation coefficient of −0.3726.
Conclusion: Nearly half of the patients had an ACR ≥30 mg/g, and more than one-third were classified as having high or very high risk according to the KDIGO classification. ACR showed a moderate negative correlation with eGFR, highlighting the complementary role of albuminuria in CKD risk stratification.