Diabetic nephropathy among diabetic patients attending El Mahalla General Hospital

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to study the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the related risk factors among diabetic patients attending El Mahalla General Hospital. Background DN is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in developing countries. Early detection and risk-reduction measures can prevent DN. In Egypt, the prevalence of DN as a cause of end-stage renal disease increased from 8.9% of patients in 1996 to 14.5% in 2002. Studies in patients who have or do not have clinically evident DN have identified a number of factors to be associated with an increased risk of renal involvement. Participants and methods This study was carried out on 100 diabetic patients who attended El Mahalla. All the participants studied were subjected to a full assessment of history, a general clinical examination, and laboratory investigations including determination of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio. Results The results showed that 78% of all the patients studied had DN. There were statistically significant relationships between nephrogenic diabetes and duration of diabetes (P = 0.008), higher systemic blood pressures (P = 0.003), an evident decrease in the glomerular filtration rate through the course of disease (P = 0.038), poor glycemic control (P = 0.036), obesity (P = 0.002), and a family history of diabetes (P = 0.006). There were no statistically significant relationships between nephrogenic diabetes and age, sex of the patient, use of oral contraceptive pills, and smoking. Conclusion Screening for microalbuminuria will enable early identification of patients with DN. Duration of diabetes mellitus and hypertension were strong predictors associated with the development of DN in the patients studied.