RESUMO
Diabetic nephropathy is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and reflects serious renal disease specific to diabetes. It is one of the common causes of end stage renal disease. A cross sectional study was carried out to find the incidence of proteinuria, microalbuminuria and transferrinuria in know diabetics of Rawalpindi. One hundred and forty six consecutive diabetics were included in the study [68 men and 78 women] for detection of diabetic nephropathy. Thirty age and sex matched, healthy controls were also included in the study. Urine protein, microalbumin and transferrin concentration were analysed in the 24 hours urine samples submitted by all diabetics and healthy controls. The screening of protein in urine was done by dipstick method using Uristix Ames [UK]. Quantitative urine total protein was estimated by Biuret method; the dipstick negative samples were analysed for microalbuminuria by using Pyrogallol-molybdate test technique and urinary transferrin was estimated by immunoturbidimetry method. The transferrin excretion in diabetic subjects significantly [P<0.01] exceeded that in healthy subject. The 65% of diabetics had an abnormally high urinary transferrin excretion and 40% had high urinary protein excretion [proteinuria: 14%: microalbuminuria: 26%]. It is concluded that microalbuminuria proteinuria and transferrinuria is common in our diabetics reflecting poor metabolic control