Urinary orosomucoid excretion rate in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Urinary excretion rate and clearance of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (orosomucoid), a major serum glycoprotein which is more anionic (pI 2.7) than albumin (pI 4.7) were measured by RIA in timed overnight urine samples from non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients with different urinary albumin excretion rate and from healthy controls. The 50th percentiles of urinary orosomucoid excretion rate in patients with normo-, micro-, and macroalbuminuria were larger than those in healthy controls. Urinary excretion rate and clearance of orosomucoid increased in parallel with increase in albumin excretion rate in diabetic patients with an albumin excretion rate of more than 10 micrograms/min. On the basis of their levels of urinary orosomucoid excretion, patients with normoalbuminuria of less than 10 micrograms/min could be divided into two groups, one with a normal and the other with an elevated urinary orosomucoid excretion rate. The findings suggest that kidneys of diabetic patients with an albumin excretion rate of more than 10 micrograms/min are unable to distinguish the difference in pI between albumin and orosomucoid, and that a subgroup with an elevated orosomucoid excretion rate may be present among diabetics with normoalbuminuria.