Endocrine Abstracts

Nephropathy is a serious complication of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with a grave prognosis after the onset of proteinuria. End stage of renal disease remains the major cause of excess morbidity and premature mortality in patients with T1DM. The aims of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy and to evaluate risk factors for its development among patients developing T1 DM. Seventy six patients with T1DM history over 20 years were included in our study. We analysed the occurrence and risk factors of diabetic nephropathy. Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria were defined as urinary albumin excretion 31–299 mg and 300 mg, respectively, per 24 h in at least two of three consecutive samples, kidney failure was defined as a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <30 ml/min/1.73 m. The following risk factors were considered: sexe, diabetic control (HbA1c) and duration, hypertension, smoking. A total of 76 patients were enrolled: 43 men and 33 women, the mean age and the mean diabetes duration was 39.9 years ±9.5 (24–61 years) and 28.18±5.9 years respectively. During follow-up, persistent microalbuminuria developed in four patients (5.3%); macroalbuminuria developed in seven patients (9,2%) and kidney failure in 12 patients (15.8%). the risk of diabetic nephropathy was significantly higher in men than in women (P=0.012). Our study suggests that several potentially modifiable risk factors predict the development of nephropathy in type 1 diabetic patients.