RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the urinary level of tissue factor (uTF) and its procoagulant activity (PCA) in patients with diabetes mellitus, and explore the relationship between uTF and renal damage in diabetes mellitus.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-six patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were divided into 3 groups according to urine albumin excretion (UACR), namely normal albuminuria group, microalbuminuria group and macroalbuminuria group. The levels of uTF, PCA, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (CRE), serum cystatin C (CYSC), glycohemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in all the patients and 21 healthy controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with normal control, the diabetic patients showed significantly increased levels of uTF and PCA. The urinary TF-PCA was positively correlated to BUN, CYSC, CRE, UACR, fasting glucose and hs-CRP, but not to uTF; only hs-CRP, UACR were positively correlated to uTF.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>uTF is probably implicated in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy.</p>