The structure of the glomerular capillary basement membrane in diabetes mellitus with and without nephrotic syndrome.

Abstract

The investigations of the kidneys of 80 diabetics, of whom 29 had a nephrotic syndrome, on silver-impregnated semithin sections showed that different morphological changes of the glomerular basement membrane are involved in the nephrotic syndrome. Nine from 29 of the diabetics with nephrotic syndrome in whom punctures were performed owing to renal symptoms showed perimembraneous changes of the basement membrane (in 100% nephrotic syndrome). Apart from the perimembraneous lesions there were homogeneous thickening of the basement membrane (in 48% nephrotic syndrome), splitting of the basement membrane in the sense of a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (in 50% nephrotic syndrome) and cases with lightmicroscopically uneventful basement membrane which developed a nephrotic syndrome in 10%.