OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of Chinese medicine syndrome pattern with urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and its related factors in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODSSixty-three early stage DN patients were subjected to the study, the Chinese medicine syndrome patterns were differentiated, and their condition of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation was detected (shown by gene polymorphism of 677 base pairs). Meantime, plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy), folic acid, fasting and postprandial glucose (FG and PG), glycohemoglobin (HbA1c), blood lipids as well as UAER were measured.

RESULTSSyndrome pattern was differentiated as yin-deficiency with heat-flourishing in 17 patients, qi-yin deficiency in 24, and yin-yang deficiency in 22; while accompanied blood stasis syndrome (BSS) was found in 35. Gene polymorphism detection indicated that 19 patients were of CC-type, 17 of TT-type, and 27 of CT-type. Analysis showed that higher UAER level often revealed in patients with BSS, as compared with that in patients of non-BS pattern, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). UAER levels in patients of different genotypes were insignificantly different (P > 0.05), but showed a linear regressive relation, namely positively correlated with Hcy level in patients of isogeneic type (r = 0.674, P < 0.05). No statistical significance was found between levels of UAER and other related factors (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONUAER level in early stage DN patients of BSS pattern is rather higher, and it shows a linear regression relationship (positive correlation) with Hcy level in patients of isogeneic type.