Study of the level of podocalcin in urine as an early detection of podocyte injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy in addition to patients with glomerulonephropathy

Abstract

lbuminuria, is the major complication of diabetes and has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide. Currently, microalbuminuria is thought to be an early marker of DN in clinical practice. Podocalyxin (PCX) is the major surface antigen of podocytes which may detached in urine during course of DN and glomerular diseases. The current study aimed to asses the value of urinary podocalyxin as an early marker for podocyte injury in patient with diabetic nephropathy as well as other glomerular disease and its use in comparison between diabetic nephrophathy and glomerular disease. This study was conducted at the internal medicine and clinical pathology departments of Ain-shams University Hospitals on 80 patients (40 patients with glomerular diseases and 40 patients with diabetic nephropathy) and 20 apparently healthy subjects serving as a control group (GIV). Patients with diabetic nephropathy were further subclassified according to their microalbumin/creatinine ratio into two groups: macroalbuminuric diabetic group (GI