Serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with chronic...

To determine the value of measuring serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients who have proteinuria, 19 diabetic patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN), 20 diabetic patients with diabetic glomerulosclerosis and 20 healthy controls were studied. Serum ACE activity was significantly (p less than 0.01) higher in patients with diabetic glomerulosclerosis (26.7 +/- 4.9), while in patients with CGN it was comparable to that in healthy controls (21.5 +/- 3.5, 19.1 +/- 4.7, respectively). These results suggest that measurement of serum ACE activity may be useful in differentiating between diabetic glomerulosclerosis and CGN in type 2 diabetic patients who have proteinuria.