title: Renal Biopsy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients.
abstract: The majority of diabetic patients with renal involvement are not biopsied. Studies evaluating histological findings in renal biopsies performed in diabetic patients have shown that approximately one third of the cases will show pure diabetic nephropathy, one third a non-diabetic condition and another third will show diabetic nephropathy with a superimposed disease. Early diagnosis of treatable non-diabetic diseases in diabetic patients is important to ameliorate renal prognosis. The publication of the International Consensus Document for the classification of type 1 and type 2 diabetes has provided common criteria for the classification of diabetic nephropathy and its utility to stratify risk for renal failure has already been demonstrated in different retrospective studies. The availability of new drugs with the potential to modify the natural history of diabetic nephropathy has raised the question whether renal biopsies may allow a better design of clinical trials aimed to delay the progression of chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. eespinel@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Espinel
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. iagraz@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agraz
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. mibernon@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Meritxell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibernon
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. nramos@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. jfort@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fort
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. dseron@vhebron.net.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serón
keywords: diabetic nephropathy; histology; kidney biopsy; type 2 diabetes