"“Currently, one of the important problems in the clinical care of patients with diabetes is the lack of an accurate, noninvasive tool for the early identification of those at high risk of renal function loss. Renal complications, also known as diabetic nephropathy, are one of the most life-threatening complications of diabetes. Over the course of many years, this damage frequently leads to end-stage renal disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to work at the level needed for everyday life. About a half million people in the United States have ESRD, which requires dialysis or kidney transplantation. Nearly 44 percent of these cases are due to diabetes.

In two studies published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Joslin researchers found that high concentrations of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 and 2 (TNFR1 and TNFR2) accurately predict the risk of renal function loss in Type 1 and in Type 2 diabetes ten years in advance. “These markers are excellent predictors of early and late renal function decline in patients with diabetes,” says senior author Andrzej Krolewski, MD, PhD, section head of Genetics and Epidemiology at Joslin.“, Our findings may improve clinical care for patients who are at risk of kidney damage".

“A diagnostic test to measure TNFRs in blood will be developed soon and available for patients,” says Krolewski. “In the meantime, our findings suggest that mechanisms underlying the association between TNFRs and high risk of renal function decline may be a target for new drug development.”

Source: http://www.joslin.org/novel-markers-are-key-indicators-of-future-renal-failure-in-diabetes.html