NPHS1 and diabetic kidney disease: At a cut-off ≥ 12.46, nephrin emerged as the best biomarker for detecting diabetic nephropathy with higher sensitivity and specificity.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Urinary podocyte markers, particularly nephrin, together with haematological indices, could provide sensitive yet inexpensive biomarkers for potentially predicting and diagnosing early diabetic nephropathy.