Urinary transferrin excretion in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus

Urinary excretion of transferrin and albumin was studied by radioimmunoassay in 47 adult patients with Type 1 diabetes and 28 control subjects. Median (range) urinary transferrin excretion rate was significantly elevated in the diabetic group 0.58 (0.02-2663.3) micrograms min-1 compared with the control group 0.04 (0.01-0.28) micrograms min-1, p less than 0.001. Urinary transferrin:creatinine ratios (x 10(2)) were different in diabetic 47 (0.6-958.0) micrograms mmol-1 and control groups 0.7 (0.06-2.3) micrograms mmol-1, p less than 0.001). There were correlations between urinary transferrin and albumin excretion rates in diabetic (r = 0.78, p less than 0.001) and control groups (r = 0.81, p less than 0.05). Forty (85%) diabetic patients had elevated transferrin excretion rates, 18 (38.3%) had elevated albumin excretion rates. All diabetic patients with elevated albumin excretion rates had elevated transferrin excretion rates. Twenty-one (77.8%) of the patients with normal albumin excretion rates had elevated transferrin excretion rates. Urinary excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase was greater in diabetic patients than control subjects (142 vs 58 mumol h-1 l-1, p less than 0.001). There were correlation between transferrin and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase excretion (r = 0.67, p less than 0.01) and albumin and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase excretion (r = 0.63, p less than 0.01) in the diabetic group. Elevated urinary transferrin excretion rate may be a marker for renal dysfunction in diabetes mellitus.