Incidence of overt proteinuria and coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the role of microalbuminuria and retinopathy.

The 5-year incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and progression to overt proteinuria was investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had microalbuminuria with (MA+R group, n=93) or without (MA-R group, n=138) diabetic retinopathy. The rate of progression to overt proteinuria was higher in the MA+R group than in the MA-R group. The MA-R group had more components of metabolic syndrome than the MA+R and normoalbuminuric (NA, n=205) groups. The MA-R group had a higher 5-year incidence of CAD than the NA group. The incidence of CAD tended to be higher in the MA-R group than in the MA+R group, but statistical significance was not reached. The present study shows that patients with diabetic retinopathy and microalbuminuria represent a group with incipient diabetic nephropathy having higher risk for progression to overt proteinuria. On the other hand, patients with microalbuminuria and no retinopathy may represent a group with characteristics of metabolic syndrome.