Diagnostic value of tubular and glomerular biomarkers across different stages of kidney injury in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) remains a major cause of chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet conventional markers incompletely capture heterogeneous renal injury. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance and stage-wise behavior of clinically accessible urinary glomerular and tubular biomarkers for identifying DN. Methods This multicenter retrospective observational study enrolled 320 hospitalized patients with T2DM, including 160 patie