Genetics of diabetic nephropathy

Summary The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus has led to a growing number of chronic com- plications including diabetic nephropathy (DN). In addition to its high prevalence, DN is asso- ciated with high morbidity and mortality especially due to cardiovascular diseases. It is well established that genetic factors play a role in the pathogenesis of DN and genetically suscep- tible individuals can develop it after being exposed to environmental factors. DN is probably a complex, polygenic disease. Two main strategies have been used to identify genes associated to DN: analysis of candidate genes, and more recently genome-wide scan. Great efforts have been made to identify these main genes, but results are still inconsistent with different genes associated to a small effect in specific populations. The identification of the main genes would allow the detection of those individuals at high risk for DN and better understanding of its pa- thophysiology as well. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2010;54(3):253-61