Assessing the Clinical Utility of Haptoglobin to Creatinine Ratio as a Test for Detecting Nephropathy among Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of diabetic complications and end-stage renal disease worldwide, especially in Nigeria. This study assessed the clinical utility of urine Albumin to Creatinine ratio (UACR) and urine Haptoglobin to Creatinine ratio (UHCR) in detecting nephropathy among type 2 diabetic patients attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Eighty (80) type 2 diabetic patients attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital were recruited for this study after excluding those with overt proteinuria. Blood sample was collected for quantitative determination of serum creatinine using Jaffe's method while the Urine sample was received for quantitative determination of urine albumin and urine haptoglobin levels. Linear regression model revealed a unit change in urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) and urine haptoglobin to creatinine ratio (UHCR) with a significant reduction in estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) by 2.197ml/min and 27.969 ml/min respectively (p<0.05) when used while logistic regression model demonstrated that UHCR have 91.7% sensitivity, 95% specificity, 98% positive predictive value and 79% negative predictive compared to UACR with 83.3% sensitivity, 75% specificity, 91% positive predictive and 60% negative predictive. Based on these findings, UHCR is a good marker for detecting nephropathy in diabetic patients.