Aim: To elucidate the role of some renal diseases, pyelonephritis in particular, in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).
Materials and methods: The trial included 150 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 aged over 60 years with DM duration 16.6 +/- 7.8 years. All the patients underwent general clinical examination, Reberg-Tareev test, urine seeding, renal ultrasonography.
Results: The diagnoses associated with renal pathology were made in 75% of patients, the specific renal parenchymal damage (diabetic nephropathy-DN) proper was much less common (73 patients with type 2 DM). 16 of them were found to have chronic renal failure. The concurrent abnormalities included pyelonephritis (21%), urolithiasis (14%), renal cysts (19%), their combination (43%). Concomitant pyelonephritis had the most significant impact on renal function. Essential hypertension occurred in 65% of patients.
Conclusion: In old age, renal damage specific for DM develops in the presence of pyelonephritis, cystic degeneration of the parenchyma, involutional processes, atherosclerotic and hypertensive arteriolosclerosis.