Study links nephropathy with familial risk of stroke

A Scottish study published in the March issue of Diabetes Care links a familial history of stroke and vascular disorders to diabetic nephropathy.

Parents of patients with diabetic nephropathy had a four-fold increase risk of stroke and a significantly shorter life span than parents of controls.

Researchers at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust said, "This supports the hypothesis that a common hereditary risk factor predisposes to both vascular death and diabetic renal disease."

(See: Lindsay et al. Diabetic nephropathy is associated with an increased familial risk of stroke. Diabetes Care 1999; 22:422-425.)