There is increasing evidence that kidney disease in type 1 diabetes (T1D) begins during adolescence. Elevations in urinary albumin creatinine ratio (uACR) within a normal range may predict those individuals at greater risk of developing microalbuminuria and an adverse profile of cardiovascular risk factors. Mitochondrial dysfunction is appreciated as an early pathological mediator of diabetic kidney disease. The objective of this study was to examine the relationships among mitochondrial function, uACR and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in young people with T1D. We found that young individuals with type 1 diabetes in the high risk tertile of uACR have increased eGFR associated with a profile of mitochondrial dysfunction.

Mitochondrial dysfunction defines a population of young people with type 1 diabetes at risk of kidney disease