Correlation of urinary nephrin with albubinuria to predict early onset of nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Nephropathy is a major microvascular complication in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), where urinary albumin a gold standard and clinically using marker for detection of nephropathy. Some of the studies reported urinary albumin is not a marker for detection of nephropathy. Moreover, recent studies reported urinary nephrin was considered to be a predictable marker for nephropathy. The present study has been designed to evaluate the status of urinary albumin and nephrin to predict early onset of nephropathy in T2DM. The present study included 120 subjects, among these 80 subjects with T2DM again sub grouped into 2 based on ACR ratio (40 T2DM with Normoalbuminuria, 40 T2DM with Microalbuminuria) and 40 healthy controls. Routine biochemical parameters, urinary albumin were analysed by using standard laboratory methods and Urinary nephrin were analysed by using ELISA and statistical analysis was done by using Microsoft Excel Spread Sheets and SPSS Version 20.0.  In T2DM Patients with Normoalbuminuria shows a significant elevation of urinary nephrin but no variation in urinary albumin levels. The urinary albumin levels were significantly elevated in Group 3 subjects when compared to Group 1 and Group 2 ( P .0001**).