Early glomerular hyperfiltration and long-term kidney outcomes in type 1 diabetes: The DCCT/EDIC experience

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Glomerular hyperfiltration has been considered to be a contributing factor to the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). To address this issue, we analyzed GFR follow-up data on participants with type 1 diabetes undergoing 125I-iothalamate clearance on entry into the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This was a cohort study of DCCT participants with type 1 diabetes who underwent an 125I-iothalamate clearance (iGFR) at DCCT baseline. Presence of hyperfiltration was defined as iGFR levels ≥140 ml/min per 1.73 m 2, with secondary thresholds of 130 or 150 ml/min per 1.73 m 2. Cox proportional hazards models assessed the association between the baseline hyperfiltration status and the subsequent risk of reaching an eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2.

RESULTS: Of the 446 participants, 106 (24%) had hyperfiltration (iGFR levels ≥140 ml/min per 1.73 m 2) at baseline. Over a median follow-up of 28 (interquartile range, 23, 33) years, 53 developed an eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2. The cumulative incidence of eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 at 28 years of follow-up was 11.0% among participants with hyperfiltration at baseline, compared with 12.8% among participants with baseline GFR <140 ml/min per 1.73 m 2. Hyperfiltration was not significantly associated with subsequent risk of developing an eGFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 in an unadjusted Cox proportional hazards model (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.43 to 1.62) nor in an adjusted model (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.38 to 1.54). Application of alternate thresholds to define hyperfiltration (130 or 150 ml/min per 1.73 m 2) showed similar findings.

CONCLUSIONS: Early hyperfiltration in patients with type 1 diabetes was not associated with a higher long-term risk of decreased GFR. Although glomerular hypertension may be a mechanism of kidney injury in DKD, higher total GFR does not appear to be a risk factor for advanced DKD.