In twenty first century, the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMt2) dramatically increases, followed by the number of patients suffering from its complications. Currently, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of renal replacement therapy. Often, DMt2 is diagnosed after several years of duration, and irreversible organ damage can develop during that period. On the other hand, the early diag- nosis of DKD in the preclinical phase, when glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is still maintained and there are no evident changes in urinalysis, gives the possibility of implementing the nephroprotective treatment that can significantly delay the progression of the disease. However, the diagnostic tests available in clinical practice, i.e. serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria have important limitations. There is a need for new, early and non-invasive biomarkers specific for kidney injury, allowing for differentiation between glomerular and tubular injury, and changing dynamically in response to the degree of kidney damage. Hereby, we review the current knowledge about the novel and emerging biomarkers of kidney injury and their used for the diagnosis of DKD.
Keywords: biomarkers; diabetes mellitus type 2; diabetic kidney disease.