Renal function and cardiovascular events: relevance of eGFR and albuminuria in patients with diabetes.

Impaired renal function has been recognised as an independent cardiovascular risk factor in the general population and in patients with established cardiovascular disease. In this issue of Diabetologia, Drury et al. examined the association of two markers of renal function with cardiovascular outcome in patients with type 2 diabetes. They found that both estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria were independent predictors, but that their incremental contribution to cardiovascular risk was modest compared with that of other risk factors. Both eGFR and albuminuria appear to integrate information from other risk factors and may be more suitable than population-based risk scores for risk prediction in individuals, but further research is required to examine whether reduced eGFR and albuminuria mainly represent generalised vascular damage or if impaired renal function directly affects vascular structure and function in patients with type 2 diabetes.