Admission proteinuria predicts the incidence of acute kidney injury among patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study

Background Proteinuria indicates renal dysfunction and is associated with the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in several conditions, but the association between proteinuria and AKI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. This research aims to investigate the predictive value of proteinuria for the development of AKI in STEMI patients. Methods A total of 2735 STEMI patients were enrolled. The present study’s endpoint was AKI incidence during hospitalization. AKI is defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria. We defined proteinuria, measured with a dipstick, as mild (1+) or heavy (2+ to 4+). Multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analyses were used to testify to the association between proteinuria and AKI. Results Overall, proteinuria was observed in 634 (23.2%) patients. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that proteinuria [odds ratio (OR), 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.25–2.00; P < 0.001] was the independent predictive factor for AKI. Severe proteinuria was associated with a higher adjusted risk for AKI compared with the nonproteinuria group (mild proteinuria: OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.04–1.75; P = 0.025; severe proteinuria: OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.70–3.68; P < 0.001). The association was highly consistent across all studied subgroups. (all P for interaction >0.05). Conclusion Admission proteinuria measured using a urine dipstick is an independent risk factor for the development of AKI in STEMI patients.