ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to see the effect of doxycycline on renal functions, especially proteinuria, in patients of diabetic nephropathy (DN). The study included 40 clinically proven adult patients of DN. All patients were on stable doses of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) for 2 months before the study. The patients were divided into two groups of 20 patients each. Group A patients were maintained on stable dose of ACEIs and/or ARBs, whereas Group B patients received doxycycline (100 mg/day) for a period of 3 months in addition to ACEIs and or ARBs. Adequate glycemic control was achieved with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents in all the patients. Renal parameters were assessed at the beginning of the study, at 1, 3, and 6 months (after a washout period of 3 months). All renal parameters remained unaltered during the study in both groups. However, proteinuria showed improvement in Group B (doxcycycline group).The mean basal value of proteinuria was 1.74 + 1.70 for Group A and 2.17 + 2.95 for Group B. At the end of 3 months, proteinuria was 1.22 + 2.11 in Group B whereas it was 1.50 + 1.50 in Group A (p < 0.05). However, the decrease in proteinuria at 6 months in the two groups did not show any statistically significant difference. No significant side effects of doxycycline were observed. The study showed that doxycycline was effective in reducing proteinuria in patients of DN when used for the short duration of 3 months.
