This company now offers the Icon microALB point of care urine test that detects low levels of albumin, the earliest indicator of diabetic or hypertensive nephropathy (kidney disease). The one-step format features rapid test sensitivity of 18-mg/L and 95% specificity.
The Icon microALB allows for results in 3 minutes and is readable for up to 8 hours. Icon microALB can be stored at room temperature, is individually wrapped, and has an excellent shelf life.
     Recent studies have shown ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have delayed, halted and in some cases reversed kidney disease. The ICON microALB takes advantage of these breakthroughs by allowing physicians to identify and treat patients at the earliest stage of disease.
     Kidney failure in the U.S. is in epidemic proportions and prevention is the only long-term solution. Annual screening will allow healthcare professionals to potentially save thousands of lives by detecting kidney disease at its earliest treatable stage.
Beckman Coulter
www.CLPmag.com
Keywords: Point of care, rapid test, microalbumin