Microalbuminuria and its associated risk factors in a representative sample of Italian type II diabetics

Increased plasma glycated low-density lipoprotein concentrations in diabetes: a marker of atherogenic risk

Nonenzymatic glycation of apolipoprotein B in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) complex has been considered a proatherogenic modification contributory to the increased susceptibility of patients with diabetes to atherosclerosis. We postulated that glycated LDL concentrations might be associated with other markers of cardiovascular disease. To explore this hypothesis, we measured glycated LDL concentrations by a monospecific immunoassay in 50 patients with type 1 and 100 patients with type 2 diabetes and examined relationships with the amount of albumin excretion and the serum cholesterol and triglyercide concentrations. Plasma glycated LDL showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.325; P < 0.001) with urinary albumin excretion that was higher in type 1 (r = 0.463) than in type 2 (r = 0.245) patients. The mean glycated LDL concentration progressively increased with increasing albumin excretion when patients were subcategorized into groups of normoalbuminuria, low (</=100 microg/mg of creatinine), and high (101-300 microg/mg) microalbuminuria, and proteinuria. Glycated LDL also correlated positively and significantly with cholesterol (r = 0.578) and triglyceride (r = 0.350) concentrations. The significant correlations in this cross-sectional analysis between glycated LDL and urinary albumin excretion, an index of cardiovascular mortality, and cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, traditional markers of risk for cardiovascular disease, support the hypothesis that an elevated level of glycated LDL represents an atherogenic risk factor in patients with diabetes.

Determinants of albuminuria in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

This study sought to identify determinants of albuminuria in people with Type 2 diabetes. In 335 primary care patients, we assessed albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) in two 24-h urine samples, and its cross-sectional associations with protein and alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, body weight and height, glycosuria, blood pressure, hypoglycaemic and antihypertensive treatment, gender, age, age at diagnosis, diabetes duration, family history of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, ethnic origin, and education. The prevalence of micro- or macro-albuminuria (ACR> or =2.0 mg/mmol) was 33%. Among these patients, compared to those with normo-albuminuria, there were more men, protein intake (g/kg) estimated from urinary urea as well as systolic blood pressure and glycosuria were higher, there were more smokers, men were shorter, and a family history of diabetes was less prevalent (all P<0.05). In linear and logistic regression (n=270) albuminuria was independently associated (P<0.05 unless indicated otherwise) with systolic blood pressure (OR(10 mmHg)=1.32), smoking (OR(ex/never)=2.36, OR(current/never)=4.89), glycosuria (OR(> or =7/<1 g/l)=2.41), gender (OR(men/women)=2.50), age in men (OR(10 year)=1.60) (P<0.10) and, inversely, in women (OR(10 year)=0.63) (P>0.10). On aggregation, the modifiable determinants systolic blood pressure, smoking and glycosuria explained 12% of the variation in albuminuria. These factors thus are, although to a moderate extent only, potential determinants of albuminuria. We also observed an independent, inverse association with body height (OR(0.10 m)=0.47). This is in line with the hypothesis that development in utero or during early life influences kidney function in later life.

Changing prevalence of retinopathy in newly diagnosed non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients in Hong Kong

In this retrospective study, the prevalence of chronic microangiopathic complications was determined in 474 Chinese patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) who presented within 1 year of diagnosis to the diabetes clinic from January 1990 to December 1996. Mean age (+/- S.E.) was 53.6 (+/- 0.6) years. The overall prevalence of retinopathy was 21.9%. A significant increase was observed from 1990 to 1994 (P < 0.005), with the prevalence being 14.8, 13.0, 24.5, 32.3 and 35.4%, respectively, in consecutive years. A decreasing prevalence was seen from 1994 to 1996 (P < 0.001), being 8.2 and 7.4% in 1995 and 1996, respectively. A total of 95% of patients had nonproliferative retinopathy--proliferative retinopathy was found in 5% only. The overall prevalence of clinical nephropathy (proteinuria > 0.5 g/day) was 3.7%. Clinical neuropathy (increased vibration perception threshold) was found in 12.8% of patients. Patients with retinopathy and neuropathy were older (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.005, respectively) than those without the complications and systolic hypertension was more prevalent in patients with retinopathy (P < 0.05). In conclusion, a high prevalence of diabetic microangiopathic complications, especially of retinopathy, is present in newly diagnosed NIDDM patients in our population. It remains to be determined whether the changing prevalence of retinopathy at diagnosis bears any relationship to the increasing public awareness of diabetes and its complications in Hong Kong in recent years. Examination for chronic microangiopathic complications should be carried out in all newly diagnosed NIDDM patients.

Prevalence of microalbuminuria in Saudi Arabians with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a clinic-based study

Prevalence of diabetic nephropathy varies in different racial groups, being especially high in communities that have abandoned an active traditional living and embraced a modern but sedentary life-style. As a new and rapidly developing country, Saudi Arabia has witnessed impressive changes in socio-economic growth and development and concurrently, a disturbing trend in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). These observations therefore prompted us to investigate the prevalence of microalbuminuria among Saudi Arabians with NIDDM. Two hundred and eleven patients attending a large Diabetic Clinic in Riyadh were screened for microalbuminuria (30-300 mg/24 h). Twenty-seven subjects had clinical proteinuria (dipstick-positive) and were excluded, leaving 184 cases for analysis. Seventy-six subjects (76/184, 41.3%) had microalbuminuria. These subjects had higher fasting plasma glucose concentrations (P = 0.002) and greater body mass index (P = 0.049) than subjects with normal albumin excretion rate (< 30 mg/24 h). There were no significant differences between subjects with and without microalbuminuria with regards to fasting total plasma cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations, frequency of hypertension, duration of diabetes or type of therapy for diabetes. In multivariate analysis, glycaemia (P < 0.005) and years since diagnosis of diabetes (P = 0.05) remained independently associated with albumin excretion rate. We conclude that microalbuminuria is exceedingly common in a clinic-based population of Saudi Arabians with NIDDM and its presence is closely related to glycaemic control. Whether the prevalence of microalbuminuria is truly increased in the diabetic population at large in Saudi Arabia must now await further population-based studies.

Microalbuminuria: prognostic and therapeutic implications in diabetes mellitus

Thirty years following the development of the first radioimmunoassay for albumin, microalbuminuria is widely acknowledged as an important predictor of overt nephropathy in patients with Type 1 diabetes and of cardiovascular mortality in Type 2 diabetes. In addition, there is accumulating evidence to suggest that diabetic patients with microalbuminuria may have more advanced retinopathy, higher blood pressure, and worse dyslipidaemia than patients with normal albumin excretion rates. Recent studies have focused on the role of intervention, principally with antihypertensive therapy and intensive glycaemic control, in reducing microalbuminuria. While successful in reducing urinary albumin excretion it remains to be established whether such therapies will be translated into a reduction in renal failure and decreased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Microalbuminuria and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Prospective studies have shown that increased urinary albumin excretion is a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the nature of the association remains unknown. Eighty-five patients aged less than 65 years and not treated with insulin were studied. The overnight albumin excretion rate (AER) was measured in each patient and analysed in relation to several putative risk factors for cardiovascular disease. AER was used both as a continuous variable and after dividing patients into high-risk (AER greater than or equal to 10 micrograms min-1) and low-risk (AER less than 10 micrograms min-1) groups. By both methods of analysis AER was significantly correlated with both seated and supine diastolic blood pressure levels and with resting heart rate. Body mass index and waist-hip ratio appeared higher and HDL-cholesterol lower in the at-risk group, but differences were not statistically significant. The level of Factor VII was not significantly lower in the at-risk group. Little of the cardiovascular risk associated with raised AER can be attributed to associations with conventional risk factors.