Relation of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF 15) to Early Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

iabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in developed countries and is becoming more prevalent globally due to the rise in the incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. DN is a progressive kidney disease caused by alterations in the glomerular capillary and tubular structure and function induced by the disturbed glucose homeostasis. Recent studies are conflicting regarding the sensitivity and the specificity of biomarkers currently used in practice for DN diagnosis (e.g., eGFR, albuminuria). The aim of this work is to evaluate the relation of Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF 15) to early Diabetic Nephropathy. For this purpose we study 90 adult diabetic patients classified into three groups: group (1); 35 patients with micro-albuminuria (UAE 30–299 mg/24h), group (2); 35 patients with macro-albuminuria (UAE ≥ 300 mg/24h), and group (3); 20 patients with norm-albuminuria (UAE <30mg/ 24h). It was found that there is no statistically significant difference between age and sex in the three studied groups, so patients in this study are matched in age and sex. As regard the type of diabetes in our study there was statistically insignificant difference between microalbuminuric