Clinical and pathological characteristics of non-diabetic renal disease in type 2 diabetes patients

BACKGROUND: Renal involvement in type 2 diabetes is mainly due to diabetic nephropathy (DN). Nevertheless, a sizable proportion of diabetic patients could actually have nondiabetic renal diseases (NDRDs) or DN plus NDRDs. This study aimed to explore the pathological features of NDRD in diabetic patients and to assess the predictability of diagnosing NDRD (±DN) versus isolated DN on the basis of clinical parameters. METHODS: Medical records of type 2 diabetes patients who underwent renal biopsy under suspicion of NDRD from January 2011 through November 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients were enrolled in this study. The most frequent indication for renal biopsy was recent onset of nephrotic syndrome (41%), followed by rapidly progressive renal failure (29%) and active urinary sediment (21%). On renal biopsy, 51% of patients had isolated DN, 20% had isolated NDRD and 29% had DN plus NDRD. IgA nephropathy was the most common cause of isolated NDRD, whereas acute tubular necrosis (39%) and acute interstitial nephritis (33%) were the main causes of NDRD superimposed on DN. Male gender, short-duration diabetes (<8 years), lower glycated hemoglobin and active urinary sediment (≥10 red and white blood cells per high-power field) were independent predictors of NDRD according to multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Judicious use of renal biopsy revealed NDRD (±DN) in nearly half of type 2 diabetes patients with atypical renal presentation, especially in male patients with well-controlled diabetes, those who have had diabetes for a short duration and those with active urinary sediment.