Abstract
To evaluate the screening tests for cadmium-induced renal tubular dysfunction, qualitative and quantitative tests for urinary protein and glucose have been done in 146 urine samples obtained from subjects who had lived in the cadmium-polluted Jinzu River basin in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The subjects consisted of 66 men and 80 women aged 55 to 71 years with β2-microglobulinuria exceeding 1, 000μg/g creatinine. The results obtained from this study were as follows;
1) The positive reaction (above 1+) for protein by the dipstick method was seen in 19.7% of men and 20.0% of women, and for glucose using Tes-tape in 48.5% of men and 33.8% of women.
2) The geometric means of protein and glucose concentrations in urine were 16.4mg/dl and 12.7mg/dl in men, and 14.2mg/dl and 6.8mg/dl in women, respectively.
3) The criteria of the primary screening in the health survey system for the residents in cadmium-contaminated areas conducted by the Japan Environment Agency were a proteinuria level exceeding 10mg/dl and a glucosuria above (±) with Tes-tape. Nearly all subjects with urinary β2-microglobulin exceeding 30mg/g creatinine were screened by these criteria in both sexes, whereas only 52.9% of men and 30.0% of women who had urinary β2-microglobulin between 10 to 30mg/g creatinine could be screened in this manner. These results indicate that semiquantitative tests are insufficient as initial tests for screening cadmium-induced renal tubular dysfunction.
