[Change of kidney volume in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)]

Kidney volume in 87 patients with NIDDM was measured by ultrasound scanning. The poorly controlled diabetics with HbA1 greater than 9.8% showed increased kidney volume (169.5 +/- 24.8 ml/1.73 m2) being larger than normal controls (155.6 +/- 17.3 ml/1.73 m2). The kidney volume was within normal range in diabetics (152.2 +/- 19.3 ml/1.73 m2) with good metabolic control (HbA1 less than 9.8%). There exists a positive correlation between kidney volume and HbA1 level (r = 0.5460, n = 87, P less than 0.01). After effective metabolic control of over 3 months, the increased kidney volume showed significant decrease with reduction of HbA1 level.