Some Diabetics at Higher Risk for Kidney Disease

Diabetics with certain forms of a gene are at much greater risk for kidney disease, a Chinese study has found. Researchers looked at four areas of the gene for protein kinase C-beta. These areas varied among people. Certain gene sequences in these areas put people at higher risk for kidney disease. Over 8 years, people with four “risky” areas developed kidney disease at almost 5 times the rate of people with zero or one “risky” area. The study included more than 2,000 people. Results were published in the August 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. MedPage Today wrote about it August 24.