RESUMO
The importance of the early detection of diabetic nephropathy is because it is a cardiovascular risk marker and it indicates the existence of vascular changes associated to an increase risk of having a cardiovascular event in diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM 1), as well as in type 2 (DM 2). Microalbuminuria is a risk factor for overall cardiovascular and coronary mortality in the patients with DM 1. Total mortality is increased in patients with DM 2 and microalbuminuria with a RR of 1.8, and it is related to microalbuminuria levels even below the considered normal range (20 microg/min and/or 30 mg/day). For this reason, the definition of microalbuminuria must be reviewed in the patients with DM 2. More studies are needed to confirm the predictive power of microalbuminuria in cardiovascular and coronary disease.
