BackgroundThe discovery of nondiabetic kidney disease (NDKD) in an individual patient with diabetes may have significant treatment implications. Extensive histopathologic data in this population are lacking, but they may provide insights into the complex pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and reveal specific phenotypes for the development of targeted therapies. This study seeks to elucidate the clinical and laboratory parameters associated with the spectrum of kidney histopathologic features in patients with diabetes.MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis of 399 kidney biopsies assessed from 2014 to 2016 at the University of Washington among patients with diabetes. More comprehensive clinical data were evaluated in a subset of 79 participants.ResultsOf the 399 biopsies reviewed, 192 (48%) had a primary diagnosis of DN (including 26 with an additional diagnosis), and 207 (52%) had a primary diagnosis of NDKD (including 67 who also had DN). Retinopathy (sensitivity: 0.86; specificity: 0.81; OR, 27.1; 95% CI, 6.8 to 107.7) and higher levels of proteinuria (7.6 versus 4.1 g/d; P=0.004) were associated with DN, whereas a physician description of AKI was associated with a lower risk of DN (OR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.38). The four most prevalent diagnoses in participants with NDKD were FSGS in 39, nephrosclerosis in 29, IgA nephropathy in 27, and acute tubular injury in 21.ConclusionsAmong patients with diabetes who undergo kidney biopsy in the Pacific Northwest, approximately half have DN, and half have NDKD. Retinopathy and more severe proteinuria were associated with DN, and AKI was a more common descriptor in NDKD.PodcastThis article contains a podcast at https://www.asnonline.org/media/podcast/K360/2020_11_25_KID0003962020.mp3
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.