Glucose control, diabetic retinopathy, and hemodialysis induction in subjects with normo-microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients with normal renal function followed for 15 years

A high urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are risk factors for progressive renal function loss in type 2 diabetic patients. In addition, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is also a risk factor for progressive renal function decline in microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients. We aimed to elucidate the factors, including DR, associated with a more severe situation of diabetic nephropathy, i.e., hemodialysis (HD) induction in normo- and microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients without renal dysfunction. Normo- and microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients with normal renal function whose GFRs had been measured by iohexol injection in 1995–1997 and had been followed for over 5 years were analyzed (n = 199). HbA1c levels was divided into HbA1c ≥ 7.0 (n = 146) and