Diabetic nephropathy

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7355.59

BMJ 2002;325:59-60 ( 13 July )

Editorials

Diabetic nephropathy

New drugs can help to face a growing challenge

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Nephropathy and renal failure remain a major complication of diabetes. New drugs have been developed, and clinical trialshave established improved methods of preventing progression ofnephropathy to end stage renal failure, yet the proportion ofpatients with diabetic nephropathy on chronic dialysis programmesis rising. In the United States diabetes has become the most commoncause of end stage renal failure in patients starting dialysis.¹In the United Kingdom the figures are progressively increasing.How has this comeabout?

There are important differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Among white patients in the United Kingdom with type 1diabetes of 15-30 years' duration, fewer than 20% will have establishednephropathy.² This is broadly comparable to other Europeancentres, although surveys in the United States show higher numbersand data from Sweden show lower numbers.² The prevalence ofnephropathy is higher among patients of Asian or African-Caribbeanorigin. Although the proportion . . . [Full text of this article]