The relationship between the thickness of glomerular basement membrane and renal outcomes in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Abstract

Glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickening is considered as one of the earliest detectable pathological features of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, whether the thickness of GBM will impact the prognosis of DN remains largely unknown. Our aim was to explore the relationship between thickness of GBM and DN progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 118 patients with T2DM and biopsy-proven DN who received follow-up for at least 1year were recruited. The patients were divided into two groups according to the median (787nm) of the GBM thickness: Group 1: GBM thickness < 787nm (n = 59), and Group 2: GBM thickness ≥ 787nm (n = 59). The GBM width was estimated by the direct GBM measurements as recently modified by Haas. Renal outcomes were defined by progression to ESRD and/or doubling of serum creatinine (D-Cr). The influence of GBM thickness on renal outcomes was assessed using Cox regression. Compared with the Group 1, patients in Group 2 had more serious renal insufficiency and glomerular lesions. During the follow-up, ESRD occurred in 39.8% of patients, and 8.5% of patients progressed to D-Cr. The univariate analysis indicated the greater width of GBM the higher risk of renal outcomes in T2DM patients with DN (HR [95% CI] = 2.180 [1.246-3.814], p = 0.006). However, the multivariate COX analysis demonstrated that the GBM thickness was not an independent risk factor for progression to ESRD or D-Cr (HR [95% CI] = 0.825 [0.404-1.685], p = 0.597) when adjusting for important clinical variables and pathological findings. In conclusion, the DN patients with greater width of GBM had relatively poorer renal prognosis, although it did not emerge as an independent indicator of disease progression.