Urinary heparan sulphate is increased in normoalbuminuric diabetic patients

ABSTRACT

Forty-nine normoalbuminuric diabetic patients were studied 22 males and 27 females, in whom urinary heparan sulphate (HS), albuminuria, creatininemia, creatininuria, creatinine clearance, HbA1c and arterial pressure (AP) were determined. Two groups were discerned group 1, Type 1 DM, diabetic cases (n = 16); and group 2, Type 2 DM diabetic cases (n = 33). Patients were compared with 24 healthy controls 12 men and 12 women, who showed a mean value + SD of 0.36 + 0.18 mg/24 h HS with significant differences between males and females (0.43 + 0.15 versus 0.28 + 0.17, respectively; p = 0.02). The total population of diabetic cases rendered a mean of 0.68 + 0.44 and comparison with controls proved highly significant (p < 0.001). Globally, male patients had a mean of 0.82 + 0.48 and females 0.54 + 0.35, with p < 0.02. Group 1 and 2 values of HS were not significantly different. HS levels falled to correlate either with age, body mass index (BM), time since onset of diabetes, albuminuria, creatininemia, creatininuria, creatinine clearance, HbA1c or arterial hypertension. To conclude both normal and diabetic males eliminate a greater quantity of HS than females. Normoalbuminuric diabetic patients of both types eliminate a greater quantity of HS regardiess of arterial pressure and time since onset of diabetes.