Diabetes is a major factor in the development of chronic kidney disease, but among people with poor blood sugar control who’ve not yet developed Diabetes, Heart Attack and Stroke risk factors account for much of their increased risk of developing kidney disease, researchers report.

In the medical journal Diabetes, Dr. Caroline S. Fox of the Framingham Heart Study, Massachusetts, and colleagues note that it is unclear whether pre-Diabetes is associated with chronic kidney disease.

To investigate further, the researchers examined data on almost 2400 participants in the Framingham Offspring Study who attended an initial examination between 1991 and 1995 and a follow-up examination between 1998 and 2001.

At the initial exam, 63 percent were normal, 29 percent were on the path to becoming diabetic, 3.4 percent were just diagnosed with diabetes and 4.6 percent had long-standing Diabetes.

At follow-up, 7 percent of the subjects had chronic kidney disease. The rate increased as the initial blood sugar control worsened.

After factoring in risk factors for Heart Attack and Stroke, those with established diabetes had double the risk of developing chronic kidney disease. However, subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes and those with pre-diabetes did not have a significantly increased risk.

Given the apparent influence of Heart disease and Stroke risk factors, the researchers conclude that clinical trials are warranted to see if their modification “can slow the decline in kidney function in those with pre-diabetes.”

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, October 2005.