Hyperfiltration in African-American patients with type 2 diabetes. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data.

OBJECTIVE: Hyperfiltration may play a role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. African-American patients with diabetes have more than a fourfold increase in end-stage renal disease. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of hyperfiltration on renal function in African-American patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Renal function of 194 African-American patients with diagnosed type 2 diabetes from 1 month to 36 years was assessed by studies of isotopic glomerular filtration rate (GFR), serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, and 24-h urinary albumin excretion rates. Thirty-four patients with a duration of diagnosed type 2 diabetes from 1 month to 10 years were found to have hyperfiltration (GFR > or = 140 ml.min-1.1.73 m-2). Fifteen of these patients received longitudinal follow-up of renal function for as long as 15 years after the initial study. RESULTS: Hyperfiltration is present in 15 (36%) of 42 patients whose duration of diagnosed type 2 diabetes is < 1 year, and it persists for up to 10 years in 14-20% of patients with diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Patients with hyperfiltration are younger than their counterparts without hyperfiltration when matched for duration of diagnosed diabetes. When followed over time, those patients with hyperfiltration were not more likely to develop impaired renal function as measured by GFR or creatinine clearance. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperfiltration does not identify patients at risk for deterioration in renal function.

Utility of untimed urinary albumin measurements in assessing albuminuria in black NIDDM subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of an untimed morning urine specimen in screening a black NIDDM population attending an urban diabetes clinic for microalbuminuria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Untimed morning specimens were provided by 218 black NIDDM subjects. Of the 218 subjects, 123 also provided 24-h urine specimens. The 24-h specimens were assayed for albumin excretion rate (AER) in milligrams per 24 h, and the albumin-to-creatinine ratio (A-to-C) in micrograms per milligram was determined on the untimed morning urine specimen. RESULTS: Correlation between the A-to-C ratio and the 24-h AER was 0.96 (P = 0.0001). In the range of clinical proteinuria, r was 0.92 (P = 0.003, n = 7). In the range of microalbuminuria, r was 0.55 (P = 0.005, n = 26), and in the normal range, r was 0.59 (P < or = 0.0001, n = 90). Analysis of the untimed urine specimens from 218 black NIDDM subjects showed that 171 had A-to-C < 30 micrograms/mg, 38 had A-to-C 30-300 micrograms/mg, and 9 had A-to-C > 300 micrograms/mg. Data were grouped according to duration of NIDDM and the presence or absence of hypertension. None of the newly diagnosed NIDDM patients (< 1 year) (n = 40) had microalbuminuria. The frequency of microalbuminuria and clinical proteinuria increased with 1) duration of NIDDM 5-10 years (odds ratio [OR], 3.39; 95% CI 1.17-9.82),2) duration of NIDDM > 10 years (OR, 11.03; 95% CI 4.16-29.25), and 3) presence of hypertension (OR, 2.59; 95% CI I.20-5.61). CONCLUSIONS: The A-to-C ratio obtained from an untimed morning urine specimen correlates with the AER from a 24-h collection. In black subjects with newly diagnosed NIDDM, microalbuminuria is not present to a significant degree. Duration of NIDDM > 5 years is associated with increased prevalence of microalbuminuria, and hypertension is associated with microalbuminuria and clinical proteinuria in this population.

Metabolic effects of darglitazone, an insulin sensitizer, in NIDDM subjects.

Insulin resistance is a significant pathogenetic factor in the development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). A new class of drugs, the thiazolidinediones, have been shown to lower blood glucose levels without stimulating insulin secretion. We report the metabolic effect of the thiazolidinedione, darglitazone, in obese NIDDM subjects. Nineteen subjects were enrolled in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in which 25 mg of darglitazone was given once a day for 14 days. Nine subjects received the active drug and ten subjects received placebo. Darglitazone-treated subjects showed; 1) a decrease in 24-h plasma glucose area under the curve from 292.8 +/- 31.2 to 235.2 +/- 21.6 mmol.h-1.l-1 p = 0.002; 2) a decrease in 24-h serum insulin area under the curve from 1027.2 +/- 254.4 to 765.6 +/- 170.4 microU.h-1.l-1 p = 0.045; 3) a decrease in 24-h non-esterified fatty acid area under the curve from 1900 +/- 236 to 947 +/- 63 g.h-1.l-1 p = 0.002; 4) a decrease in mean 24-h serum triglyceride by 25.9 +/- 6.2% as compared to -3.9 +/- 4.8% for the placebo-treated group, p = 0.012. Placebo-treated subjects showed no change in their metabolic parameters after treatment. Thus, darglitazone is effective in increasing insulin effectiveness in obese NIDDM subjects. The potential for this and similar drugs to treat or prevent NIDDM as well as the insulin-resistance syndrome needs to be explored.