AIM:To investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori) seropositivity and the presence of microalbuminuria.METHODS:Between December 2003 and February 2010,asymptomatic individuals who visited the Seoul National University Healthcare System Gangnam Center for a routine check-up and underwent tests for H.pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio(UACR) were included.All study subjects completed a structured questionnaire,anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests.Anti-H.pylori immunoglobulin G was identified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.A random single-void urine sample,collected using a clean-catch technique,was obtained to determine the UACR.The presence of microalbuminuria was defined as a UACR from 30 to 300 μg/mg.The presence of diabetes mellitus(DM) was defined as either a fasting serum glucose level greater than or equal to 126 mg/dL or taking anti-diabetic medication.Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors.The dependent variable was microalbuminuria,and the independent variables were the other study variables.RESULTS:A total of 2716 subjects(male,71.8%;mean age,54.9 years) were included.Among them,224 subjects(8.2%) had microalbuminuria and 324 subjects(11.9%) had been diagnosed with DM.Subjects with microalbuminuria had a significantly higher H.pylori seropositivity rate than subjects without microalbuminuria(60.7% vs 52.8%,P = 0.024).Multivariate analysis after adjustment for age,body mass index(BMI),waist circumference,and glucose and triglyceride levels showed that H.pylori seropositivity was significantly associated with microalbuminuria [odds ratio(OR),1.40,95% CI,1.05-1.89,P = 0.024].After the data were stratified into cohorts by glucose levels(≤ 100 mg/dL,100 mg/dL < glucose < 126 mg/dL,and ≥ 126 mg/dL or history of DM),H.pylori seropositivity was found to be significantly associated with microalbuminuria in diabetic subjects after adjusting for age,BMI and serum creatinine level(OR,2.21,95% CI,1.20-4.08,P = 0.011).In addition,the subjects were divided into five groups.Those without microalbuminuria(an UACR of < 30 μg/mg) were divided into four groups in accordance with their UACR values,and subjects with microalbuminuria comprised their own group.Notably,H.pylori seropositivity gradually increased with an increase in UACR(P = 0.001) and was highest in subjects with microalbuminuria(OR,2.41,95% CI,1.14-5.11).This suggests that H.pylori seropositivity is positively associated with microalbuminuria in diabetic subjects.CONCLUSION:H.pylori seropositivity was independently associated with microalbuminuria,and the prevalence of H.pylori seropositivity was associated with the severity of UACR in diabetic subjects. AIM: To investigate the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seropositivity and the presence of microalbuminuria. METHODS: Between December 2003 and February 2010, asymptomatic individuals who visited the Seoul National University Healthcare System Gangnam Center for a routine check-up and underwent tests for H. pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) were included. All study subjects completed a structured questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests. Anti-H. pylori immunoglobulin G was identified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.A random single-void urine sample, collected using a clean-catch technique, was obtained to determine the UACR. The presence of microalbuminuria was defined as a UACR from 30 to 300 μg / mg.The presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was defined as either a fasting serum glucose level greater than or equal to 126 mg / dL or taking anti -glyculin. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors. The dependent variable was microalbuminuria, and the independent variables were the other study variables .RESULTS: A total of 2716 subjects (male, 71.8%; mean age, 54.9 years) were included. Among them, 224 Subjects (8.2%) had microalbuminuria and 324 subjects (11.9%) had been diagnosed with DM.Subjects with microalbuminuria had a significantly higher H.pylori seropositivity rate than subjects without microalbuminuria (60.7% vs 52.8%, P = 0.024) .Multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and glucose and triglyceride levels showed that H. pylori seropositivity was significantly associated with microalbuminuria [odds ratio (OR), 1.40, 95% CI, 1.05-1.89, P = 0.024]. After the data were stratified into cohorts by glucose levels (≤ 100 mg / dL, 100 mg / dL