SODIUM-LITHIUM COUNTERTRANSPORT - A PREDICTOR OF DIABETIC NEPHROPATHYIN JEWISH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS PATIENTS OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC-ORIGIN

Diabetic nephropathy in Jewish insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (ID DM) patients has been found to correlate to their ethnic origin. It ha s also been found that increased sodium-lithium countertransport (SLC) in erythrocytes, as a genetic marker for essential hypertension, may identify those patients at risk for diabetic nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible correlation between this g enetic marker and the ethnic origin of Jewish IDDM patients and their parents and the risk for developing diabetic nephropathy. Although SLC was slightly increased in IDDM patients with microalbuminuria, SLC wa s not correlated with the existence of diabetic nephropathy nor with t he ethnic origin and blood pressure of these Jewish IDDM patients. Thu s, other genetic factors may play a role in the different prevalence o f diabetic nephropathy in Jewish IDDM patients of different ethnic ori gin.