The key change in diabetic glomerulopathy is accumulation of extracellular material. Basement membrane thickening and matrix expansion develop concomitantly. In insulin-dependent diabetic patients persistent microalbuminuria is associated with an early stage of glomerulopathy. Albuminuria in non-insulin-dependent patients does not always reflect glomerulopathy. Renal and glomerular hypertrophy in the early stages of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is unlikely to play a dominant role in the development of glomerulopathy. Loss of capillary surface, closely associated with loss of glomerular function, is only partly explained by mesangial expansion—glomerular occlusion plays an important role. Possible mechanisms of albuminuria are qualitative changes of the basement membrane, eg, loss of proteoglycans and excess glycosylation; epithelial cell changes; new vessel formation; remodeling of glomerular structures; and impeded function of juxtaglomerular arterioles. The interplay among abnormalities in individual compartments of the diabetic kidney should be explored.