Abstract

Kidney disease associated with chronic cadmium (Cd) exposure is primarily due to proximal tubule cell damage. This results in a sustained decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and tubular proteinuria. Similarly, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is marked by albuminuria and a declining GFR and both may eventually lead to kidney failure. The progression to kidney disease in diabetics exposed to Cd has rarely been reported. Herein, we assessed Cd exposure and the severity of tubular proteinuria and albuminuria in 88 diabetics and 88 controls, matched by age, gender and locality. The overall mean blood and Cd excretion normalized to creatinine clearance (C<inf>cr</inf>) as E<inf>Cd</inf>/C<inf>cr</inf> were 0.59 µg/L and 0.0084 µg/L filtrate (0.96 µg/g creatinine), respectively. Tubular dysfunction, assessed by β<inf>2</inf>-microglobulin excretion rate normalized to C<inf>cr</inf>(E<inf>β2M</inf>/C<inf>cr</inf>) was associated with both diabetes and Cd exposure. Doubling of Cd body burden, hypertension and a reduced estimated GFR (eGFR) increased the risks for a severe tubular dysfunction by 1.3-fold, 2.6-fold, and 84-fold, respectively. Albuminuria did not show a significant association with E<inf>Cd</inf>/C<inf>cr</inf>, but hypertension and eGFR did. Hypertension and a reduced eGFR were associated with a 3-fold and 4-fold increases in risk of albuminuria. These findings suggest that even low levels of Cd exposure exacerbate progression of kidney disease in diabetics.