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Aims: To investigate the relationship between metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with biopsy-confirmed diabetic nephropathy (DN)., Methods: A total of 316 participants with biopsy-confirmed DN between January 2008 and December 2019 were retrospectively assessed. Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare the risk of incident ESRD in 50 patients with MAFLD and 50 patients without MAFLD, after using propensity score matching (PSM) to address the imbalances of sex, age, baseline-estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum albumin, 24-h urine protein, hemoglobin and systolic blood pressure., Results: During the median follow-up period of 3 years, there were 19 ESRD outcome events (19%) in PSM cohort. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis suggested that renal survival significantly deteriorated in patients with MAFLD versus those without MAFLD (p = 0.021). Additionally, the hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of MAFLD were 3.12 (1.09-8.95, p = 0.035), 3.36 (1.09-10.43, p = 0.036), 3.66 (1.22-10.98, p = 0.021), 4.25 (1.34-13.45, p = 0.014), 3.11 (1.08-8.96, p = 0.035) and 5.84 (1.94-18.5, p = 0.003) after adjustment for six models, including demographic, clinical and pathological characteristics as well as medication use at the time of renal biopsy, respectively. Besides, patients with higher liver fibrosis score had a greater possibility of ESRD, comparing to those with lower liver fibrosis score (p = 0.002)., Conclusions: MAFLD increases the risk of incident ESRD in patients with biopsy-proven DN. Further research is needed to determine whether treatment targeting MAFLD improves the prognosis of DN., (© 2022. Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature.)

We aimed to determine the utility of biopsy data and anemia for the prediction of renal outcomes in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. In total, 441 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-confirmed diabetic nephropathy (DN) were enrolled in a retrospective study. Their renal pathology was assessed using the Renal Pathology Society system. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and immunofluorescence staining was used to assess the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-α in patients' kidneys. We found that glomerular pathology classification was an independent pathological predictor of low hemoglobin concentration, according to linear and logistic regression analyses. Each 1 g/dL decrease in baseline hemoglobin concentration was associated with a 42% higher risk of an adverse renal outcome, after adjustment for clinical and pathologic covariates. In patients with severe glomerular lesions, the risk of progression to ESRD was significantly higher if mild or moderate/severe anemia was present, but in patients with mild glomerular lesions, the risk was only significantly higher in those with moderate or severe anemia than in the absence of anemia. Harrell's C Concordance was improved, but the Akaike information criterion was worsened by adding the glomerular pathology classification to the use of anemia status and clinical data. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that renal HIF-1α and HIF-2α expression was significantly higher in classes II-IV than class I. Thus, the addition of glomerular pathology classification increases the value of anemia status for the prediction of the progression to ESRD.

Aims: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Identification of risk factors involved in the progression of DKD to ESRD is expected to result in early detection and appropriate intervention and improve prognosis. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a risk prediction model for ESRD resulting from DKD in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)., Methods: Between January 2008 and July 2019, a total of 390 Chinese patients with T2DM and DKD confirmed by percutaneous renal biopsy were enrolled and followed up for at least 1 year. Four machine learning algorithms (gradient boosting machine, support vector machine, logistic regression, and random forest (RF)) were used to identify the critical clinical and pathological features and to build a risk prediction model for ESRD., Results: There were 158 renal outcome events (ESRD) (40.51%) during the 3-year median follow up. The RF algorithm showed the best performance at predicting progression to ESRD, showing the highest AUC (0.90) and ACC (82.65%). The RF algorithm identified five major factors: Cystatin-C, serum albumin (sAlb), hemoglobin (Hb), 24-hour urine urinary total protein, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. A nomogram according to the aforementioned five predictive factors was constructed to predict the incidence of ESRD., Conclusion: Machine learning algorithms can efficiently predict the incident ESRD in DKD participants. Compared with the previous models, the importance of sAlb and Hb were highlighted in the current model.Highlights What is already known? Identification of risk factors for the progression of DKD to ESRD is expected to improve the prognosis by early detection and appropriate intervention. What this study has found? Machine learning algorithms were used to construct a risk prediction model of ESRD in patients with T2DM and DKD. The major predictive factors were found to be CysC, sAlb, Hb, eGFR, and UTP. What are the implications of the study? In contrast with the treatment of participants with early-phase T2DM with or without mild kidney damage, major emphasis should be placed on indicators of kidney function, nutrition, anemia, and proteinuria for participants with T2DM and advanced DKD to delay ESRD, rather than age, sex, and control of hypertension and glycemia.

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its relationship with renal structure changes in patients with type 2 diabetes and associated diabetic nephropathy (DN)., Methods: 411 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-confirmed DN were enrolled in this retrospective study. MetS was defined according to the modified criteria of the 2005 International Diabetes Federation. Baseline demographics and clinical information at the time of renal biopsy were extracted from the hospital's electronic medical records system. Renal pathological findings were assessed according to Renal Pathology Society system. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to define the pathological covariates associated with MetS. A competing risk model, with death as the competing risk, was used to estimate the sub-distribution hazard ratio (SHR) of MetS for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD)., Results: 224 (55%) patients had MetS. Patients with MetS had poor renal function and more severe interstitial fibrosis tubular atrophy scores (IFTA) than those without MetS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that IFTA was significantly associated with MetS (odds ratio per score increase 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-2.05). Of the patients with DN at risk, 40% of patients progressed to ESKD. After adjusting for renal function and pathological parameters, the presence of MetS was an independent predictor for progression to ESKD (SHR 1.93, 95% CI 1.34-2.79). The SHRs for progression to ESKD also increased as the number of MetS components increased. Additionally, adding the IFTA scores improved the prognostic power of a model that only contained MetS and clinical covariates for predicting future ESKD., Conclusion: MetS is an independent prognostic predictor of ESKD in patients with T2D and DN, while adding the IFTA scores increased the prognostic value of MetS for renal outcome., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Aims: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes mellitus increase atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) risk. However, the association between renal outcome of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and ASCVD risk is unclear., Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 218 type 2 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven DKD, and without known cardiovascular diseases. Baseline characteristics were obtained and the 10-year ASCVD risk score was calculated using the Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE). Renal outcome was defined as progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The association between ASCVD risk and renal function and outcome was analyzed with logistic regression and Cox analysis., Results: Among all patients, the median 10-year ASCVD risk score was 14.1%. The median of ASCVD risk score in CKD stage 1, 2, 3, and 4 was 10.9%, 12.3%, 16.5%, and 14.8%, respectively ( p  = 0.268). Compared with patients with lower ASCVD risk (＜14.1%), those with higher ASCVD risk had lower eGFR, higher systolic blood pressure, and more severe renal interstitial inflammation. High ASCVD risk (>14.1%) was an independent indicator of renal dysfunction in multivariable-adjusted logistic analysis (OR, 3.997; 95%CI, 1.385-11.530; p  = 0.010), though failed to be an independent risk factor for ESRD in patients with DKD in univariate and multivariate Cox analysis., Conclusions: DKD patients even in CKD stage 1 had comparable ASCVD risk score to patients in CKD stage 2, 3, and 4. Higher ASCVD risk indicated severe renal insufficiency, while no prognostic value of ASVCD risk for renal outcome was observed, which implied macroangiopathy and microangiopathy in patients with DKD were related, but relatively independent.

Background: To address the prognostic value of combining tubular basement membrane (TBM) and glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickness in diabetic nephropathy (DN)., Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 110 patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-proven DN from 2011 to 2018. The pathological findings were confirmed according to the Renal Pathology Society classifications. GBM and TBM thicknesses were determined using the Haas' direct measurement/arithmetic mean method and orthogonal intercept method, respectively. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the influence of combined GBM and TBM thickness for predicting end-stage renal disease (ESRD)., Results: Patients were assigned to three groups according to the median GBM and TBM thickness: GBM lo TBM lo (GBM < 681 nm and TBM < 1200 nm), GBM hi TBM lo /GBM lo TBM hi (GBM ≥ 681 nm and TBM < 1200 nm, or GBM < 681 nm and TBM ≥ 1200 nm), and GBM hi TBM hi (GBM ≥ 681 nm and TBM ≥ 1200 nm). The GBM hi TBM lo /GBM lo TBM hi and GBM hi TBM hi groups displayed poorer renal function, a more severe glomerular classification and interstitial inflammation, and poorer renal survival rates than the GBM lo TBM lo group The GBM hi TBM lo /GBM lo TBM hi and GBM hi TBM hi groups had adjusted HRs of 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-9.75) and 3.07 (95% CI, 2.87-12.78), respectively, compared with the GBM lo TBM lo group., Conclusions: TBM thickness enhanced GBM thickness for renal prognosis in patients with type 2 diabetes., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes published by Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Purpose: The older population has increased sharply in China. However, renal clinical and histopathological data in this population are lacking. This study investigated the clinicopathologic features and the related risk factors for long-term renal survival in older patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN)., Methods: In this retrospective observational study, 74 older patients (≥ 60 years old) with type 2 diabetes mellitus and biopsy-proven DN from 2007 to 2019 were included. Clinical data were extracted from electronic records. Renal biopsy specimens were semiquantitatively evaluated using the Renal Pathology Society (RPS) classification system. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD)., Results: During the median follow-up period of 22 months, 24 (32%) older patients progressed to ESRD. Older patients who progressed to ESRD had poorer renal function, lower hemoglobin and albumin concentrations, more severe glomerular lesions, and higher percentages of Kimmelstiel-Wilson lesions than those who did not progress to ESRD. After adjusting for age, sex, baseline renal function, and pathological parameters, multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that RPS glomerular classification (HR 2.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-6.04), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.58-0.99), and proteinuria (HR 3.85, 95% CI 1.44-10.27) were independent risk factors for progression to ESRD., Conclusion: Lower eGFR, heavier proteinuria, and more severe RPS glomerular lesions were associated with ESRD in older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and DN.

Several studies show that patients with early-onset diabetes have higher risk of diabetic complications than those diagnosed in middle age. However, whether early-onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression remains unclear, especially a lack of data in biopsy-confirmed cohort. In This study, we enrolled 257 patients with T2DM and biopsy-confirmed DN to investigate the role of early-onset T2DM in DN progression. Participants were divided into two groups according to the age of T2DM diagnosis: early-onset group (less than 40 years) and later-onset group (40 years or older). We found that patients with early-onset T2DM had higher glomerular grades and arteriolar hyalinosis scores than those in later-onset group. After adjusted for confounding factors, early-onset of T2DM remained an independent predictor of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for patients with DN. In conclusion, although with the comparable renal function and proteinuria, patients with early-onset T2DM and DN had worse renal pathological changes than those with later-onset. Early-onset of T2DM might be an important predictor of ESRD for patients with DN, which called more attention to early supervision and prevention for patients with early-onset T2DM and DN.

This retrospective study included 299 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and biopsy-confirmed diabetic nephropathy (DN) to investigate the prognostic value of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) for renal outcome. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the serum ALP level on renal outcome, which was defined as end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or a 50% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline. The median baseline ALP was 80 IU/L with an interquartile range of 64-97 IU/L. Serum ALP was negatively associated with eGFR but positively associated with proteinuria and renal interstitial fibrosis. During a median follow-up period of 23 months, ESRD or a 50% declined in the eGFR occurred in 156 (52.2%) patients. The highest quartile of ALP was significantly associated with poor renal outcome, as defined above (HR 2.38, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-5.17), when adjusted for sociodemographics, baseline eGFR, proteinuria, liver function parameters, parathyroid hormone levels, and renal pathological findings. Each standard deviation higher in the natural log-transformed ALP was associated with a 25% increased risk for poor renal outcome. Additionally, there was a graded increase in the risk for poor renal outcome with higher ALP in patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria. However, no significant associations were observed between serum ALP levels and renal outcome in patients with non-nephrotic-range proteinuria. In conclusion, an elevated ALP level was independently associated with poor renal outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and nephrotic-range proteinuria after multivariate adjustment.

Objective: Our study sought to investigate the clinicopathologic features and renal prognosis of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in different age groups. Methods: A total of 315 patients with T2DM and biopsy-proven DN were enrolled and divided into three groups by age: the Youth group (≤44 years old), the Middle-aged group (45 to 59 years old), and the Elderly group (≥60 years old). Results: The Youth group, Middle-aged group, and Elderly group accounted for 19.05% (60/315), 59.37% (187/315), and 21.59% (68/315) of the patients in our study, respectively. The patients in the Youth group had a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology collaboration formula) ( P <.001), a higher incidence of diabetic retinopathy ( P = .044), and a higher incidence of being in the lower-risk chronic kidney disease heat map category ( P = .046) but lower duration of diabetes ( P = .016). Histologically, patients in the Youth group had the highest incidence of glomerular classification in class I ( P = .006) and arteriolar hyalinosis score of 0 ( P = .005). The renal survival among the three groups was comparable ( P >.05). Conclusion: This study indicated that there were different clinicopathologic features among Chinese DN patients in different age groups. Although the Youth group had a relatively lower rapid kidney disease progression rate, there were no significant differences in renal survival rate among the three groups, which calls more attention to early supervision and prevention for younger DN patients. Abbreviations: CKD = chronic kidney disease; DN = diabetic nephropathy; DR = diabetic retinopathy; eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate; ESRD = end-stage renal disease; G&Y&O = green and yellow and orange; IFTA = interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy; T2DM = type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the important clinical predictors of renal outcome and clinical course., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic data from T2DM patients with renal involvement confirmed by renal biopsy (n = 505). The outcome was defined as the progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD)., Results: Renal biopsy revealed that 302 patients (59.8%) had DN, 174 (34.5%) had NDRD, and 29 (5.7%) had NDRD superimposed on DN. In multivariate analysis, the absence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) (odds ratio (OR) 4.171, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.810-9.612; P = 0.001), absence of hypertension (OR 2.412, 95% CI 1.095-5.315; P = 0.029), shorter duration of diabetes (OR 1.015, 95% CI 1.008-1.022; P < 0.001), lower-risk chronic kidney disease (CKD) heat map category (green, yellow and orange) (OR 3.885, 95% CI 1.289-11.707; P = 0.016) and lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (OR 1.339, 95% CI 1.114-1.610; P = 0.002) were significant clinical predictors of NDRD. Patients with DN had a poorer 5-year renal outcome than those with NDRD, and multivariate analysis identified DN as an independent risk factor for progression to ESRD, when adjusted for important clinical variables (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: This study has identified the absence of DR and hypertension, lower-risk CKD heat map category, shorter duration of diabetes, and lower HbA1c as useful clinical predictors of NDRD. Renal biopsy is recommended for patients with T2DM and renal disease to obtain an accurate diagnosis and determine timely disease-specific treatment, which should increase the chance of a good renal outcome.

Aims: To investigate the association between cigarette smoking and the clinicopathological features and renal prognosis of type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN)., Methods: A total of 223 T2DM male patients with biopsy-proven DN who received follow-up for at least 1 year were recruited. The patients were divided into two groups based on smoking status: smoking group and non-smoking group. Clinicopathologic differences were analyzed between the two groups. In addition, smokers were divided into two groups of binary analysis based on smoking amounts and two groups of former smokers and current smokers, and subgroups analysis based on age and DR, respectively. The influence of smoking on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was estimated using logistic regression analysis and Cox regression on renal outcomes. Renal outcomes were defined by progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or doubling of serum creatinine (D-SCr) level., Results: Compared with nonsmokers, smoking patients had more moderate decline eGFR (p = 0.032) and tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis (p = 0.033). The adjusted logistic regression analysis suggested cigarette smoking was negatively associated with more severe decline eGFR (p = 0.015), especially for patients with DR (p = 0.010) and patients of age ≤ 50 years (p = 0.012) in the subgroup analysis. In the prognosis analysis, no obvious significant risk factor was shown about smoking. Interestingly, it was observed that former smokers had lower levels of plasma glucose and triglycerides than current smokers (both p < 0.05), while smokers with small smoking amounts had lower levels of triglycerides than those with large smoking amounts (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Cigarette smoking patients with T2DM and DN had more moderate decline eGFR, especially for DN patients with DR, and milder IFTA lesions, although an obviously significant risk factor was not shown about smoking for DN.

Background: Glomerular immunoglobulin M (IgM) deposition is common in diabetic kidney disease. The clinical implication of IgM deposition in the renal tissues of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy remains unclear., Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty-two patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-proven pure diabetic nephropathy were enrolled retrospectively. Clinicopathological features and renal outcomes were compared between patients with and without glomerular capillary IgM deposition. A Cox proportional hazards model was employed to identify the risk factors associated with renal survival., Results: Fifty-two patients had positive linear glomerular capillary IgM staining. Patients with glomerular capillary IgM deposition presented with heavier proteinuria, and lower serum albumin. During 35.5 (12, 107) months of follow-up, patients with glomerular tuft IgM deposition had shorter renal survival than those with negative IgM deposition (39 [23.74, 54.26] versus (vs.) 64 [45.82, 82.18] months, P = 0.01). Patients with glomerular complement 1q (C1q) deposition showed worse renal survival than those lacking glomerular C1q deposition (36 [23.82, 48.18] vs. 60 [50.27, 69.74] months, P = 0.001). Worse renal outcome was observed in patients with glomerular C3 deposition than in those without glomerular C3 deposition (37 [22.43, 51.56] vs. 63 [51.75, 74.25] months, P = 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional analysis demonstrated that combined glomerular capillary IgM and C1q deposition was an independent predictor of end-stage renal disease (hazard ratio 3.75, 95% CI[ 1.68,8.35], P = 0.001)., Conclusions: Patients with diabetic nephropathy and combined glomerular capillary IgM and C1q deposition had unfavorable renal outcome, which indicates that IgM derived from B cells might be involved in diabetic kidney injury., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aims: To investigate the renal pathological implications in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with renal involvement., Methods: A total of 328 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with renal involvement who underwent a renal biopsy and received follow-up for at least one year were recruited in our study. The patients were divided into the diabetic nephropathy (DN), non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD), and NDRD superimposed on DN groups based on the pathological diagnosis. Renal outcomes were defined by the initiation of renal replacement therapy or doubling of the serum creatinine. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare renal survival, and Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine the predictors of renal outcomes in the DN group., Results: Renal biopsy findings revealed that 188 patients (57.32%) had pure DN, 121 patients (36.89%) had NDRD alone, and 19 patients (5.79%) had NDRD superimposed on DN. The most frequent subclassification of NDRD was membranous nephropathy (MN). Compared with the NDRD and NDRD superimposed on DN groups, patients with pure DN had poorer renal function and lower renal survival rates. In the DN group, the five-year renal survival rates of glomerular classes of I, IIa, IIb, III and IV were 100%, 84.62%, 60%, 47.5% and 33.33%, respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that the glomerular lesions, proteinuria and serum creatinine were independent risk factors for renal outcomes, while interstitial fibrosis/inflammation and arteriolar hyalinosis were not independently associated with renal outcomes in the DN group., Conclusions: Making an accurate pathologic diagnosis by renal biopsy is crucial for diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with renal involvement. The findings of our present study indicated that patients with pure DN had poorer renal outcomes than patients with NDRD or NDRD superimposed on DN. The classification of glomerular lesions, proteinuria and serum creatinine were independent risk factors for renal outcomes in the DN group. More studies with large samples and longer time follow-up are needed to evaluate the relationship between pathological changes and clinical characteristics in T2DM patients who have renal involvement., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To investigate whether renal pathology is an independent predictor for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in diabetic kidney diseases (DKD) with nephrotic range proteinuria. Methods: A total of 199 DKD patients with nephrotic range proteinuria underwent renal biopsy and were divided into an ESRD group and a non-ESRD group. A Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to compare renal survival rate, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to determine the predictors of the ESRD. Results: The mean age of included patients was 51.49 ± 9.12 years and 113 patients (56.8%) progressed to ESRD. The median follow-up period was 16 (12–28) months. The glomerular pathology class III is the most common type (54.3%). In the Kaplan–Meier analysis, compared with patients without ESRD, patients with ESRD had a longer duration of diabetes (≥6 years), lower eGFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m2), lower albumin (<30 g/L), lower hemoglobin (<120 g/L), and a higher grade of glomerular stage (class III + IV vs. class I + II) (p < 0.05). The hemoglobin and e-GFR, but not the histopathological damage, were significantly associated with a higher risk of ESRD in both the univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. Conclusions: In patients with diabetic kidney disease characterized by nephrotic range proteinuria, histopathological damage (glomerular alterations, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA), interstitial inflammation, and arteriolar hyalinosis) is not associated with poor renal outcomes, but hemoglobin and e-GFR could predict poor renal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with patients who did not progress to ESRD, patients who progressed to ESRD had lower baseline eGFR (49 [35, 65] vs 79 [57, 99] mL/min/1.73 m SP 2 sp , I P i < 0.001), lower serum albumin (31.1 ± 7.0 vs 35.4 ± 6.9 g/L, I P i = 0.003), and lower hemoglobin levels (106 ± 20 vs 125 ± 27 g/L, I P i < 0.001), but higher proteinuria (6.1 [3.6, 9.6] vs 2.9 [1.8, 6.8] g/24 h, I P i = 0.002) and total cholesterol levels (5.63 ± 1.82 vs 5 ± 1.20 mmol/L, I P i = 0.046). In a recent study involving Japanese DKD patients, the clinicopathological features of fast estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decliners were evaluated.[9] However, the risk factors for progression to ESRD in rapid eGFR decliners were not analyzed. The presence of glomerular lesions is considered to be the main factor associated with DKD progression.[29],[30] However, Okada et al[31] provided evidence that interstitial lesions (not glomerular and vascular lesions) were significant predictors of renal prognosis in DKD patients. Therefore, to better understand the course of DKD in Chinese patients, we conducted a retrospective study of type 2 diabetes patients with biopsy-proven DKD and rapid eGFR decline. [Extracted from the article]

Zhao, Lijun, Xi Wang, Tingli Wang, Wenxin Fan, Honghong Ren, Rui Zhang, Yutong Zou, Huan Xu, Jie Zhang, Yunhong Wu, and Fang Liu. Associations between high-altitude residence and end-stage kidney disease in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. High Alt Med Biol. 21:396–405, 2020. Background: This study investigated whether living at high altitude was associated with progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in Chinese patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 369 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and biopsy-confirmed DN. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the influence of living at high altitude on ESKD. Results: Patients living at ≥2,000 m above sea level were more likely to be Tibetan, and they had higher mean body mass indexes, glycosylated hemoglobin, hemoglobin concentrations, and baseline estimated glomerular filtration rates than those living at lower altitudes. During a median follow-up period of 20 months, 141 (38%) patients progressed to ESKD. In multivariable Cox analysis adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, and clinical and pathological parameters, living at high altitude was independently associated with progression to ESKD in Chinese DN patients [HR 2.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–7.58]. Compared with Han Chinese, Tibetans were at a lower risk of progression to ESKD (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.04–0.59). Conclusions: Living at high altitude was independently associated with renal outcome in Han Chinese patients with T2DM and DN, but not native Tibetans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]