The relationship between glomerular structure and function in insulin-dependent diabetes

Diabetic nephropathy affects up to 40% of insulin dependent patients for reasons that are unclear. This review briefly describes the methodology of histological quantitative morphometry as applied to the human renal glomerulus and what the results tell us about the glomerular structural determinants of GFR. A case is made for the use of renal biopsy as an important part of studies of the diabetic kidney.