Type 1 diabetics continue to be at risk for kidney disease

BOSTON — Advances in kidney care have not led to successful efforts to improve therapy for patients with Type 1 diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, examined 423 patients with Type 1 diabetes who developed macroalbuminuria, a condition in which excess protein is passed through the urine. Patients with Type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of developing macroalbuminuria, which can lead to end-stage renal disease, also known as kidney failure. The researchers found that 172 patients developed ESRD.

Still, despite increases in the use of kidney treatments over the last 20 years, the risk of ESRD and pre-ESRD did not change, with ESRD mortality rates remaining similar between the 1990s and the 2000s.