RESUMEN
Diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease [ESRD] in developed countries. This study was designed to determine the proportion of the diabetic patients among under-hemodialysis patients in ten hemodialysis centers of Tehran. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was done on all under-hemodialysis patients of ten hemodialysis centers [620 patients] during 2001-2002. Data were collected by taking history of the patients and reviewing their medical records. The data were analyzed to find out the frequency of the diabetes and the risk factors associated with diabetic nephropathy such as age, sex, type and duration of diabetes, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart disease and the family history of diabetes and hypertension. Diabetes was the cause of ESRD in 25% of patients aged 32 to 89 years old. The most frequent age group was 7th decade. 9% of diabetic patients suffered from type 1 and 91% of them suffered from type 2 diabetes. Patients with the diabetes duration of 15-19 years had the most frequency. 40% of patients were female and 60% of them were male. History of hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart diseases and smoking were positive in 48%, 82.5%, 46%, 41%, and 21% of patients, respectively. The results of this study are in agreement with other studies in this field. Diabetic patients compose a remarkable percentage of under-hemodialysis-patients. High frequency of risk factors in these patients should promote controlling them to prevention ESRD