Table 1.
Baseline clinical and pathological findings in groups stratified according to the serum albumin level.
| Variables | Normal group ≥ 35 g/L (n = 87) | Mild group 30-35 g/L (n = 34) | Moderate group 25-30 g/L (n = 36) | Severe group < 25 g/L (n = 31) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical findings | |||||
| Age (year) | 52.45 ± 9.66 | 53.41 ± 8.93 | 53.06 ± 6.32 | 52.26 ± 8.88 | 0.935 |
| Gender (male) | 60 (69.0%) | 25 (73.5%) | 22 (61.1%) | 22 (71.0%) | 0.704 |
| Duration of diabetes (months) | 84 (24-132) | 48 (24-120) | 120 (36-156) | 120 (84-132) | 0.054 |
| DR (%) | 34 (39.1%) | 20 (58.8%) | 19 (52.8%) | 22 (71%)† | 0.013 |
| Cigarette smoking (%) | 40 (46.0%) | 19 (55.9%) | 18 (50.0%) | 16 (51.6%) | 0.790 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 144.26 ± 19.80 | 149.91 ± 30.06 | 148.86 ± 24.25 | 153.71 ± 21.87 | 0.224 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 86.01 ± 12.43 | 84.59 ± 11.85 | 84.60 ± 12.49 | 89.32 ± 10.80 | 0.354 |
| Hypertension (%) | 77 (88.5%) | 29 (85.3%) | 32 (88.9%) | 30 (96.8%) | 0.391 |
| Hematuria (%) | 39 (44.8%) | 24 (72.7%)† | 27 (79.4%)† | 22 (71.0%) | 0.001 |
| Initial proteinuria (g/d) | 2.18 (0.93-3.66) | 5.02 (3.29-7.81)† | 5.55 (4.23-8.82)† | 8.4 (6.15-14.42)†‡ | <0.001 |
| Nephrotic-range proteinuria (>3.5 g/d (%)) | 22 (25.3%) | 21 (63.6%)† | 30 (83.3%)† | 29 (93.5%)†‡ | <0.001 |
| e-GFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 65.22 (40.88-91.11) | 52.14 (39.35-78.30) | 42.16 (30.15-67.95)† | 43.14 (28.92-59.22)† | <0.001 |
| Stage 1,2,3a,3b,4,5 CKD (KDIGO) | 24/24/10/21/8/0 | 5/8/10/6/5/0 | 2/9/3/13/9/0 | 0/7/7/9/8/0 | — |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.21 (0.85-1.70) | 1.44 (1.07-1.67) | 1.62 (1.19-2.31)† | 1.80 (1.26-2.40)† | 0.001 |
| Uric acid (mmol/L) | 413.60 ± 89.99 | 369.54 ± 71.93† | 385.40 ± 67.20 | 364.94 ± 74.24† | 0.006 |
| FBS (mmol/L) | 7.38 (5.86-9.10) | 7.23 (5.88-9.75) | 7.39 (4.74-10.22) | 5.73 (4.64-8.59) | 0.451 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.90 (6.10-8.40) | 7.55 (6.43-8.45) | 7.30 (6.30-8.70) | 6.80 (5.95-8.40) | 0.706 |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | 1.83 (1.29-2.39) | 1.63 (1.21-2.32) | 1.63 (1.03-2.46) | 1.82 (1.26-2.59) | 0.557 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.77 ± 1.20 | 5.03 ± 1.18 | 6.28 ± 1.82†‡ | 6.48 ± 2.03†‡ | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 129.45 ± 26.25 | 116.91 ± 27.55 | 107.46 ± 24.64† | 103.53 ± 19.16† | <0.001 |
| Progressed to ESRD (%) | 12 (13.8%) | 13 (38.2%) | 27 (75%) | 24 (77.4%) | — |
| Histopathological findings | |||||
| Glomerular class | <0.001 | ||||
| I | 10 (11.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| IIa | 29 (33.3) | 1 (2.9) | 1 (2.8) | 3 (9.7) | |
| IIb | 8 (9.2) | 6 (17.6) | 5 (13.9) | 1 (3.2) | |
| III | 27 (31) | 20 (58.8) | 26 (72.2) | 22 (71) | |
| IV | 13 (14.9) | 7 (20.6) | 4 (11.1) | 5 (16.1) | |
| IFTA | 0.014 | ||||
| 0 | 5 (5.7) | 0 (0) | 1 (2.8) | 0 (0) | |
| 1 | 49 (56.3) | 15 (44.1) | 14 (38.9) | 8 (25.8) | |
| 2 | 24 (27.6) | 17 (50) | 20 (55.6) | 19 (61.3) | |
| 3 | 9 (10.3) | 2 (5.9) | 1 (2.8) | 4 (12.9) | |
| Interstitial inflammation | 0.001 | ||||
| 0 | 10 (11.5) | 1 (2.9) | 1 (2.8) | 0 (0) | |
| 1 | 70 (80.5) | 26 (76.5) | 21 (58.3) | 21 (67.7) | |
| 2 | 7 (8) | 7 (20.6) | 14 (38.9) | 10 (32.3) | |
| Arteriolar hyalinosis | 0.006 | ||||
| 0 | 20 (23) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.6) | 4 (12.9) | |
| 1 | 41 (47.1) | 14 (41.2) | 16 (44.4) | 15 (48.4) | |
| 2 | 26 (29.9) | 20 (58.8) | 18 (50) | 12 (38.7) | |
| Therapy | |||||
| RAAS inhibitor (%) | 70 (80.5) | 28 (82.4) | 29 (80.6) | 25 (80.6) | 0.996 |
| Oral hypoglycemic agents (%) | 45 (51.7) | 15 (44.1) | 5 (13.9)†‡ | 12 (38.7) | 0.002 |
| Insulin therapy (%) | 59 (67.8) | 26 (76.5) | 29 (82.9) | 24 (77.4) | 0.330 |
Abbreviations: DR: diabetic retinopathy; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; e-GFR: estimated glomerular filtration rate; FBS: fasting blood sugar; HbA1c: glycosylated hemoglobin; ESRD: end-stage renal disease; RAAS: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. † p < 0.05 versus the normal group. ‡ p < 0.05 versus the mild group.