Hemocue urine albumin point-of-care test shows strong agreement with the results obtained with a large nephelometer.

There is an increasing incidence of diabetic nephropathy, predominantly in patients with type 2 diabetes (1– 3). Persistent microalbuminuria is a sign of ongoing glomerular injury and a strong predictor of clinical nephropathy, and screening for microalbuminuria, the earliest manifestation of diabetic nephropathy, is recommended for all diabetic patients (4). Point-of-care testing (POCT) offers rapid test results, which facilitate the use of the results to motivate the patient to lifestyle changes and increased compliance (5–7). To achieve good compliance, it is essential that the patient and physician work together and that the patient get regular feedback on the treatment results. The feedback is considered to be more effective if the test results are available during the consultation. This has led to the development of POCT instruments for measuring urine albumin excretion. The aim of the present study was to evaluate urine albumin analyzed by the HemoCue POCT instrument, which can provide rapid test results, in relation to urine albumin analyzed by a central laboratory instrument (ProSpec) and the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in a group of elderly men.