The prevalence of proteinuria in patients presenting acutely with oedema due to heart failure has not been studied extensively. Recent evidence from the Candesartan in Heart failure Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and morbidity (CHARM) trial suggests that there is a high prevalence of albuminuria in chronic heart failure patients. We set out to investigate the prevalence of proteinuria in patients presenting with fluid retention secondary to heart failure. A random collection of urine albumin–creatinine ratios (ACRs) in successive patients was used to quantify proteinuria. Out of a sample of 19 patients, seven had no detectable albuminuria, eight had microalbuminuria and four had macroalbuminuria. We did not find any relation between urine ACR and age, serum urea or serum creatinine. Moreover, we did not find a higher prevalence of albuminuria with increasing age or the presence of diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, the clinical significance of this common finding in patients presenting with fluid retention is not clear, and further research is warranted to clarify its prognostic value.
