Current Challenges in Diabetic Nephropathy: Early Diagnosis and Ways to Improve Outcomes

Diabetes is often associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is the primary cause of kidney failure in half of patients who receive dialysis therapy. Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes and its high morbidity and mortality, diabetic nephropathy is a serious drawback in individual patients and a tremendous socioeconomic burden on society. Despite growing concern for the management of diabetic nephropathy, the prevalence of CKD with diabetes is the same today as it was 20 years ago. The current strategy to manage diabetic nephropathy, including the control of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure and the wide-spread use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, is well established to be beneficial in the early stages of diabetic nephropathy. However, the effects are uncertain in patients with relatively progressed CKD. Therefore, early diagnosis or risk verification is extremely important in order to reduce the individual and socioeconomic burdens associated with diabetic nephropathy by providing appropriate management to prevent the development and progression of this condition. This review focuses on recent research and guidelines regarding risk assessment, advances in medical treatment, and challenges of and future treatments for diabetic nephropathy.