Association of genetic variants with diabetic nephropathy

Core Tip

Core tip: Diabetic nephropathy is actually the most common cause of kidney failure. It is now a scientifically proven fact that there is a strong association between an individual’s genetic makeup in his predisposition to diabetic nephropathy. Multiple genes are involved in pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, with several allelic polymorphisms having demonstrable effects in the development and progression of the disease thus contributing to the overall risk. These gene polymorphism studies are thus conducted to identify at-risk patients and design therapeutic strategies to prevent the outcome of such complication in his later future. This review discusses about the various gene variants found till date to be associated with diabetic nephropathy.