KIM-1 as a biomarker of kidney tubular damage in normoalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance.

INTRODUCTION

Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), and normoalbuminuric patients may present with renal tubular damage associated with insulin resistance (RTDAIR). In this context, the kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) emerges as a useful biomarker for assessing tubular damage.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of KIM-1 in the detection of RTDAIR in normoalbuminuric patients, as well as its relationship with HOMA-IR.

METHODOLOGY

This was a cross-sectional study involving 82 normoalbuminuric patients with T2DM, divided into two groups according to HOMA-IR. Laboratory tests were performed, and data were analyzed using Student's t-test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

Patients with higher IR (HOMA-IR ≥ 2.77) had increased urinary KIM-1 (uKIM-1) concentrations (113.3 ± 65.0 ng/g creatinine), which may indicate incipient DKD.

CONCLUSION

Increased HOMA-IR may be related to elevated uKIM-1 levels, suggesting that IR contributes to the development of RTDAIR. Furthermore, uKIM-1 may serve as a useful biomarker for its detection.