Background: Frequent screening of renal failure and good glycaemic control in diabetic patients can avoid this severe complication.
Aim: To evaluate the frequency of renal failure and the associated risk factors among type 2 diabetic Tunisian in-patients. Glomerular filtration rate was estimated using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. Renal failure was diagnosed on figure of glomerular filtration rate inferior than 60 ml/min.
Results: Six hundred eighty-nine patients were included. The sex ratio was 0.65. The mean age was 60 ± 11 years. The frequency of renal failure was 19.8% (137 patients) with dominance of a moderate form defined by a glomerular filtration rate between 30 and 59 ml/min (82.5% of patients). Patients with renal failure were older and less obese than diabetic patients without this complication (p<0.00001 and 0.02 respectively). The duration of both diabetes and hypertension was higher in presence of renal failure (p=0.0001 and p<0.001 respectively). Patients with renal failure had more often hypertension and dyslipidemia than patients with normal renal function (p<0.001 and p=0.01 respectively). A personal history of severe retinopathy treated by laser, of coronary disease or of stroke was significantly associated to renal failure (p=0.002, p<0.0001 and p=0.001 respectively).
Conclusion: The frequency of renal failure observed in Tunisian patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is high. Hypertension and dyslipidemia should be carefully treated to prevent or delay the evolution to the renal failure.