Pathomorphology of the diabetic kidney.

A short survey is given on important pathomorphologic renal lesions in diabetics, particularly diabetic glomerulosclerosis including aspects on the development of its alterations. The frequency of renal complications in autopsy material of 400 diabetics is reported as well as the occurrence of typical and atypical lesions in a series of 267 biopsy specimens from diabetic patients. In about 60% of this biopsy series semithin sections with silver staining and/or immunohistology could be used which allowed a much more precise diagnosis including the recognition of atypical lesions in diabetics, e.g. glomerulonephritis and the combination of glomerulosclerosis and glomerulonephritis. Therefore, the necessity to apply additional morphological techniques in biopsy material is emphasized.