'Microalbuminuria' in type I (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with and without retinopathy.
We investigated the frequency of microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate, AER greater than 15 micrograms/min) ('overnight' urine collection and radioimmunological evaluation) and its relation to retinopathy (assessed by fluorangiography) in 113 type I (insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects (aged 31 +/- 13 years; diabetes duration 11 +/- 7 years), all Albustix-negative. Sixty eight patients (60.2%) were free of retinal lesions, 31 (27.4%) had background retinopathy and 14 (12.4%) had proliferative retinopathy. Microalbuminuria was found in 25 patients (22%). Fifteen patients (13%) showed both retinopathy and microalbuminuria. Fifteen % (10/68) of the patients with no retinopathy and sixteen % (5/31) of those with background retinal lesions had microalbuminuria, while 29% (4/14) of the patients with proliferative retinopathy were normoalbuminuric. Among the 29 patients with diabetes for less than five years, 1 had retinopathy and 4 had microalbuminuria. Out of 15 patients with both retinopathy and microalbuminuria, 13 (87%) had had diabetes for more than 10 years. Diabetic retinopathy is more frequent than microalbuminuria (40 vs 22%). Although the linkage between retinopathy and microalbuminuria is weak, after ten years of diabetes the two complications may frequently coincide.
Cattedra di Malattie del Ricambio, Università di Pisa, Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica del CNR.
R
R
Miccoli
O
O
Giampietro
G
G
Penno
G
G
Odello
R
R
Anichini
A
A
Bertolotto
L
L
Cruschelli
S
S
Bertoli
R
R
Navalesi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000209:etiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003404:Creatinine / Q000032:analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000209:etiology*; D006441:Hemoglobin A / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012044:Regression Analysis
D006441:Hemoglobin A; D003404:Creatinine