Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is currently the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although nowadays much is known about its classification, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and evolution, to date we are not yet able to stop the natural progression of nephropathy in diabetic patients.
Methods: Treatment options are: lifestyle change with close blood pressure monitoring and tight glycemic control. The most common therapies adopted for this condition are Angiotensing Converting Enzyme-inhibitors (ACEi). However these drugs are able to block the progression of renal damage only in a small proportion of patients. In the remaining, DN progresses and may evolve into ESRD.
Conclusion: The purpose of this review is to summarize the "state of art" of current novel therapeutic strategies to stem this debilitating kidney disease.