EFFECT OF LONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF PICOTAMIDE ON BASE-LINE AND EXERCISE-INDUCED URINARY ALBUMIN EXCRETION IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE-II DIABETES-MELLITUS AND INCIPIENT NEPHROPATHY

The present pilot study investigated the effect of long-term treatment with picotamide on baseline and exercise-induced urinary albumin excr etion levels in normotensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Six Patients with type II diabetes were studied: four patients (two me n and two women; mean age, 52 +/- 11 years) were treated for 9 months with picotamide (300 mg, TID) and two patients who did not receive the study medication served as controls. Three of the picotamide-treated patients were given a cycloergometric exercise test at baseline and af ter 3 and 6 months of therapy to evaluate the effects of the drug on e xercise-induced microalbuminuria. Microalbuminuria at rest was measure d in all patients at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 months. At the end of the study, all the picotamide-treated patients demonstrated a sign ificant decrease in microalbuminuria at rest (from 41.7 +/- 12.7 mug/m in at baseline to 11.8 +/- 3 mug/min after 9 months) and after exercis e (peak at baseline 103 +/- 36 mug/min vs 65.8 +/- 11 mug/min after 6 months). Conversely, in the two controls, microalbuminuria at rest inc reased from 45.1 +/- 0.9 mug/min at baseline to 151 +/- 59 mug/min at the end of the 9-month study period. (All values given as mean +/- SEM .) In conclusion, long-term administration of picotamide was effective in reducing abnormal exercise-induced microalbuminuria and albuminuri a at rest. These findings suggest that long-term treatment with picota mide of normotensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus and incip ient nephropathy may slow the progression of the nephropathy in its ea rly stages.