[Diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes--epidemiology, early diagnosis and therapeutic strategies].

Diabetic nephropathy now accounts for approximately one-third of all patients who develop end-stage renal disease. The realization that half of these individuals suffer from non-insulin-dependent (type-2) diabetes mellitus has sparked increased interest attempts to understand the epidemiology and pathophysiology. In particular, early diagnosis, prevention and intervention in type-2 diabetic patients with micro-albuminuria and incipient diabetic nephropathy is urgently needed, since an early mortality due to cardiovascular complications is well documented in these patients. This review article summarizes most of the new data concerning epidemiology, pathophysiology, early diagnosis and the very few intervention studies in diabetic nephropathy of type-2 diabetic patients.