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Clinical impact of albuminuria in diabetic nephropathy

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Abstract

Patients suffering from diabetic nephropathy, resulting in end-stage renal failure, are increasing in number. The pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy remains to be fully investigated. In the clinical setting, the presence of albuminuria/overt proteinuria and a low glomerular filtration rate may predict poor renal prognosis, but the prognosis of the normoalbuminuric renally insufficient diabetic patient remains controversial. In addition to the measurement of urinary albumin excretion, biomarker studies to detect diabetic nephropathy more specifically at the early stage have been performed worldwide. There is a growing body of evidence for remission and/or regression of diabetic nephropathy, which may be an indicator for cardiovascular and renal risk reduction. Deeper insights into the pathological characteristics as well as the clinical impact of albuminuria on renal and cardiovascular outcome are required.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Diabetic Nephropathy Research from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.

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Correspondence to Takashi Wada.

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Wada, T., Shimizu, M., Toyama, T. et al. Clinical impact of albuminuria in diabetic nephropathy. Clin Exp Nephrol 16, 96–101 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10157-011-0508-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10157-011-0508-z

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