Pathogenesis of Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Both the clinical manifestations and the histological appearances of kidney disease associated with diabetes have been well characterized. The pathogenesis, however, is less well understood, and there are gaps in our understanding of how various causal factors relate to the histological manifestations of diabetes; in part, this is because of a paucity of kidney biopsies and longitudinal data. Here, we will focus on the pathogenesis, summarizing our current understanding of the histological and clinical correlates and pointing out remaining controversies in the context of pathogenesis.