title: Urinary type IV collagen levels in diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Type IV collagen is the principal component of glomerular basement membrane and messangial matrix. Studies have shown increased levels of urinary type IV collagen (uIV) in diabetic patients compared to healthy controls. The concentration of uIV increases gradually as diabetic nephropathy progresses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was carried out to determine whether urinary type IV collagen (uIV) can serve as an indicator of diabetic nephropathy. Using a sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique, uIV excretion was determined in 30 type 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria and 20 patients with microalbuminuria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  uIV excretion was significantly increased in type 2 diabetics, in both normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric patients, compared with healthy controls. The increase in urinary type IV collagen was well correlated with the amount of urinary albumin but not with HbA1C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings that uIV is higher in those with microalbuminuria and correlates with albuminuria, support uIV as an indicator of diabetic nephropathy. Whether the increased uIV excretion would predict the impending renal failure needs further confirmation.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia. pavai@um.edu.my
authors.forename: Pavai
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sthaneshwar
authors.forename: Siew-Pheng
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000652:urine; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine*; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000652:urine*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000652:urine*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000652:urine*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D024141:Collagen Type IV