ABSTRACT
There were no studies on the different stages of diabetic nephropathy in Saudi Arabia, particularly the earliest stages. We have therefore investigated the frequency of occurrence of varying degrees of proteinuria including microalbuminuria in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) Saudi patients as well as the correlation of varying degrees of proteinuria with other diabetic complications and risk factors. One hundred and twenty-five NIDDM patients were studied. Fifty-seven were males and 68 were females. Their mean age was 49.8 +/- 10 years with a mean duration of diabetes of 9.48 +/- 6 years. The mean of HbA1c was 10.3 +/- 2.6%, serum creatinine was 76.7 +/- 23 mmol/L, creatinine clearance 94.3 mL/min, glomerular filtration rate 129.7 +/- 44 and effective renal plasma flow was 496.5 +/- 153. The pattern of proteinuria group was as follows: nephrotic range proteinuria 5.6%, clinical proteinuria 30.4%, microalbuminuria 16.8%. Hypertension and retinopathy were present in 36.8% and 37% of the patients respectively. A significant correlation was found between the presence of hypertension, duration of diabetes and development of diabetic nephropathy. Similarly, a significant correlation was found between retinopathy and the degree of proteinuria. In conclusion, the pattern of diabetic nephropathy in the Saudi NIDDM patients is similar to that in the Western world. Hypertension and duration of diabetes mellitus are important risk factors in the development of diabetic nephropathy. There is a good correlation between retinopathy and the degree of proteinuria.
ABSTRACT
Eighty-two patients (60 females and 22 males) who were under treatment for hyperthyroidism at the King Saud University affiliated hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were evaluated by M-mode and cross-sectional echocardiography for the presence of mitral valve prolapse. Sixty-seven patients (51 females and 16 males) had diffuse toxic goitre while 15 of them (9 females and 6 males) had nodular toxic goitre. The overall frequency of prolapse was 37.8% (31 of 82) and the frequency was similar for both sexes, being 38.3% in females and 36.3% in males. Prolapse was associated with both diffuse toxic goitre (overall frequency 35.8%) and nodular toxic goitre (overall frequency 46.6%); and the highest frequency was in females with nodular toxic goitre (55.5%). Out of the total of 31 patients with prolapse, early systolic and holosystolic prolapse were each present in 12 patients, while mid-to-late systolic prolapse was found in 7 patients. Cross-sectional echocardiography demonstrated prolapse in 16 cases, the M-mode was positive in 5 cases while the two methods confirmed it in 10 patients. The prevalence of prolapse of the mitral valve in otherwise healthy Saudi subjects has previously been found to be 12-15%. This study has confirmed a high frequency of prolapse in hyperthyroid patients and has demonstrated that sex, ethnic or racial origin and type of hyperthyroidism are not determinants of this association.
