Frequency of Microalbuminuria in Type 1 Diabetic Children

Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes which involves one third of the patients. the aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of microalbuminuria in type 1 diabetic patients visited in pediatric endocrine clinic in hamedan, west province of iran, in 2007.methods: diabetic patients visited in pediatric diabetes clinic were enrolled in the study. variable data such as age, sex, duration of the disease, stage of puberty, dose of insulin/kg/day, and blood pressure of the patients were obtained according to history and physical examination. 24h urine samples were collected for protein, creatinine, and microalbumin. data analysis was assessed using independent t-test and chi-square test.findings: one-hundred five patients (56 females and 49 males) with a mean age of 13.3±5.5 years, were evaluated. fifteen (14.3%) cases had microalbuminuria. mean age in microalbuminuric group was 16.2±2.8, and in non-microalbuminuric group was 12.7±5.6 years (p=0.024). mean duration of diabetes was 9.1±3.2 yr in microalbuminuric and 4.5± 3.9 in non-microalbuminuric group. there was a significant correlation between duration of diabetes and microalbuminuria (p<0.001). blood pressure was normal in 95.5% of the patients while in patients with microalbuminuria 73.3% had hypertension (p<0.001). frequency of micro­albuminuria was higher in patients taking lower doses of insulin corrected to their body weight (p=0.008).conclusion: frequency of microalbuminuria was significant, so regular screening is highly recommended for early detection and timely treatment of diabetic nephropathy in order to prevent progression to end stage renal disease.