title: Hematocrit, urea and gender: the Hematocrit, Urea and GEnder formula for prognosing progressive renal failure in diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetic nephropathy is a common cause of end stage renal disease. Notwithstanding, wide inter-individual variations in the speed of progression of diabetic nephropathy are frequent. We have used the score of the HUGE formula to predict progression of kidney disease in a group of diabetic nephropathy patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 84 type 2 diabetic patients. At treatment entry, the mean age was 62.1 ± 12.5 years and 59.5% were male. Blood pressure was measured at office at each visit. Serum creatinine, urea, hematocrit and 24h proteinuria were analyzed every 6 months. HUGE score was calculated from gender, urea and hematocrit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean HUGE score was 0.99 ± 3.88. Using as cut off point 1.5, those patients who had a score equal or higher (n=31) showed a bigger increase in serum creatinine after one year (41.8 ± 62.1%) than those subjects with score<1.5 (n=53) (18.7 ± 38.6%, p=0.041). 5 patients with low HUGE score reached end stage renal failure (9.4%) and 10 patients in the high HUGE score group (32.3, p=0.008). When logistic regression analysis was performed only a HUGE score higher than 1.5 (p=0.003) and proteinuria higher than 2g/day (p=0.041) were independently associated to CRF progression (creatinine increment>25%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In diabetic nephropathy patients the HUGE equation may be useful to detect the subjects prone to progressive renal failure. Wider samples will be needed to confirm this finding and, most important, its applicability to other kinds of nephropathy.
authors.affiliation: University of Salamanca School of Medicine, Salamanca, Spain. nroblesp@senefro.org
authors.forename: Nicolás Roberto
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Robles
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Rocio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martinez-Gallardo
authors.forename: Joaquin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alvarez Gregori
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Casado
authors.forename: Juan Jose
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cubero
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Macias
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014508:Urea; D003404:Creatinine