Adult height and proteinuria in type 2 diabetes

Background. Short stature has been shown to be associated with proteinuria in type 1 diabetes, but no data exist with respect to type 2 diabetes. The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between final adult height and macroproteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods. One hundred and forty-four consecutive type 2 diabetic patients (84 males, 60 females) with macroproteinuria were recruited into the study. For every patient, three diabetic controls matched for age, gender, and duration of diabetes were randomly selected. Height was measured in patients and controls to the nearest 0.5 cm. Results. The mean height in men with macroproteinuria (n=84) was 164.4 cm (SD 6.74) compared to 166.6 cm (SD 6.64) in controls (n = 252) (P < 0.01). The mean height in women with macroproteinuria (n = 60) was 150.6 cm (SD 5.20) compared to 152.5 cm (SD 5.78) in controls (n = 180) (P < 0.02). Conclusion. Short stature is associated with an increased risk of macroproteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients. We postulate that common genetic or environmental factors that affect final adult height might also predispose to the development of nephropathy.