Tracking Kidney Function in Young People with Type 1 Diabetes: What a New Study Reveals

Type 1 diabetes can affect the kidneys over time, which is why doctors regularly check kidney function in people with diabetes. However, tracking kidney health has been challenging during the teenage years and early adulthood, partly because pediatric doctors and adult doctors have traditionally used different methods to measure kidney function. This gap in monitoring could mean important changes go undetected during a critical period of development.

A new study from Canada set out to solve this problem by using updated kidney function measurements that work consistently across the teenage years and into early adulthood.

Researchers followed 137 young people with type 1 diabetes, ages 10 to under 25 years old, between 2009 and 2023. Participants had their kidney function measured at a median of 5 different timepoints over approximately 10 years. The study collected information about their diabetes management, body weight, blood sugar control, and also documented social factors like ethnicity and economic circumstances.

To measure kidney function, researchers used updated formulas called the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children under 25 (CKiD U25) formulas, which can track kidney health consistently across the age range studied—something older measurement methods could not do reliably.

The study found that kidney function showed different patterns depending on which measurement method was used. One measurement showed a mild increase in kidney function as young people aged, while another showed a decrease until age 18 and then leveled off. When researchers combined both measurements, the trends balanced each other out, suggesting that kidney function remained relatively stable across this age range in this group of young people.

The researchers also looked at urine albumin levels, which can indicate early kidney stress. This information, combined with clinical factors like blood sugar control and diabetes duration, helps paint a fuller picture of kidney health in young people with type 1 diabetes.

This research addresses a real gap: many young people with type 1 diabetes transition from pediatric to adult care without seamless kidney function monitoring. By showing how new, consistent measurement methods work across the teenage and young adult years, this study provides a roadmap for better tracking.

The findings also underscore that kidney health in type 1 diabetes is influenced by multiple factors—not just blood sugar control, but also how long someone has had diabetes, their weight, and even social factors like economic circumstances. This suggests that comprehensive diabetes care during these formative years may help protect kidney health for the long term.

Source: Frontiers in endocrinology. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.