Current Opinion in the Treatment of Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal failure. Approximately
20-40% patients with diabetes mellitus will develop nephropathy with a significant proportion requiring regular dialysis or kidney transplantation. The International Diabetes Federation
estimates that 366 million people had diabetes worldwide in 2011 and 552 million people will
have this disease by 2030.1
The increasing incidence of diabetes elevates diabetic nephropathy
to one of the most important current public health issues, representing a significant burden on
the health system.2
Despite current interventional strategies being intensively implemented,
the number of patients with diabetes requiring renal replacement therapy for end-stage renal
disease is growing.3
Current treatments of diabetic nephropathy slow its progression,3
so the
optimal therapeutic strategy to arrest or reverse the nephropathy is needed urgently. As multiple
risk factors and their interactions promote the development of diabetic nephropathy, targeting
a single factor may be ineffective in the treatment of this disease; thus, optimal treatments by
targeting multiple factors need to be developed to arrest or reverse the diabetic nephropathy