Proteinuria and nephropathy have been found to cluster in families of
non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) Pima Indian, and in Caucasian i
nsulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) patients. No information is at presen
t available for Caucasian NIDDM patients. The aim of the present study
was to determine whether micro-macroalbuminuria (AER+) is associated
with albumin excretion rate abnormalities in diabetic and non-diabetic
siblings of probands with NIDDM and AER+. We identified 169 Caucasian
families with one NIDDM proband (the patient with longest known NIDDM
duration) (101 families with only NIDDM siblings, 33 families with bo
th NIDDM and non-NIDDM siblings and 35 families with only non-NIDDM si
blings). Of the probands 56 had AER+ [Prob-NIDDM-(AER+)], 78 had AER-
[Prob-NIDDM-(AER-)], 74 siblings of Prob-NIDDM-(AER+), and 113 sibling
s of Prob-NIDDM-(AER-) also had NIDDM. Data on albuminuria and retinop
athy from multiple sibling pairs when the size of the sibship was more
than two was adjusted according to a weighting factor. The odds ratio
for AER+, in siblings of Prob-NIDDM-(AER+) adjusted for age, hyperten
sion, glycated haemoglobin A(1c) and other confounding variables was 3
.94 (95% confidence intervals: 1.93-9.01) as compared to siblings of P
rob-NIDDM-(AER-). The 74 siblings of Prob-NIDDM-(AER+) had higher prev
alence of proliferative retinopathy than siblings of Prob-NIDDM-(AER-)
(14 vs 2%; p < 0.01). We also identified 66 non-diabetic siblings of
41 NIDDM probands with AER+ and 36 non-diabetic siblings of 27 NIDDM p
robands with AER-. Albumin excretion was two times higher, although st
ill within the normal range, in the non-diabetic siblings of Prob-NIDD
M-(AER+) than in siblings of Prob-NIDDM-(AER-) [median = 13.5 (range 0
.5-148) vs 6.6 (range 1-17) mu g/min (p < 0.05)]. In conclusion higher
rates of albumin excretion aggregate in Caucasian families with NIDDM
. Proliferative retinopathy is more frequently observed in families sh
owing a clustering of AER+ and NIDDM. These findings suggest that fami
lial factors play a role in the pathogenesis of renal and retinal comp
lications in NIDDM.