Biopsy Suggested Before Making Diagnosis Of Diabetic Nephropathy.

MedWire  (8/20, Robertson) reports on a study  published online Aug. 10 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation finding that "people with diabetes and symptoms of nephropathy should undergo renal biopsy before a diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is assumed." And, "renal biopsy could be particularly important for diabetes patients with presumed DN in the absence of poor glycemic control or diabetic retinopathy (DR)...because DN and primary glomerulopathies require different treatment strategies." In the study, an "analysis of 55 patients presumptively diagnosed with DN, percutaneous renal biopsy carried out in all patients showed that just 30 (54.5%) individuals were histologically diagnosed with DN, while 25 (45.5%) were diagnosed with non-DN conditions." Researchers concluded that biopsy should be conducted in patients lacking "poor glycemic control" and DR because those are "significantly predictive markers."