A Comparative Study of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Normal Healthy Controls and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in South India

Neelkanth Kote; M D Ranganath

Neelkanth Kote Department of Physiology, Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalburgi, Karnataka, India.
M D Ranganath Department of Physiology, Rajarajeswari Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, glomerular filtration rate, type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background and Aim: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common metabolic diseases, which is characterized by increased blood glucose levels. DM is the leading cause for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end‑stage renal disease. To estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of normal healthy controls and type II DM (T2DM) patients using Cockcroft–Gault (CG) formula and to compare the GFR values of normal subjects and T2DM patients (with respect to glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c]). Methods: The total sample size of the study was 60, among which 30 were healthy individuals (controls) and 30 were T2DM patients (subjects with both controlled and uncontrolled HbA1c). A detailed history was taken from the subjects and controls followed by a thorough clinical examination. Blood and urine samples were collected from all the subjects for the estimation of serum creatinine, HbA1c, and urine routine analysis. The GFR is calculated for all the study participants using CG formula, and the results were expressed in the form of graphs and charts. Results: The overall GFR value was well within the normal limits in controls than the subjects. In the present study, the values of GFR were 106.87 + 8.29 and 100.03 + 12.42 in normal healthy controls (Group A) and diabetic subjects (Group B), respectively. In this study, value of HbA1c in healthy control males and females was 6.74 ± 0.39 and6.76 ± 1.04, respectively. Similarly, the value of HbA1c in diabetic subject males and females was 7.32 ± 0.69 and 7.06 ± 1.45, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between GFR with the degree glycemic control in T2DM of the study population. Conclusion: The present study indicates that the degree of glycemic control in T2DM reflects the ongoing kidney damage by change in GFR of the kidney. The GFR of diabetic subjects is comparatively lower when compared with GFR of normal healthy controls. Our study also shows that there is a higher risk of developing CKD in diabetics with poor glycemic index than diabetics with good glycemic index.