Abstract: A support vector machine (110) is used to predict who, among a population of patients with diabetes mellitus, will develop proteinuria which is in indicator of diabetic nephropathy. The support vector machine (110) is trained using test results of the patients from blood biochemistry and haemotology tests. The training and testing of the support vector machine (110) used data in which the entire patient population did not exhibit signs of proteinuria at a predetermined time period and three months later, and some of the patient population had proteinuria six months from the predetermined time period. The support vector machine (110) is used to predict who, among patients with diabetes mellitus using lest results from a predetermined time period and three months later, will develop proteinuria at six months from the predetermined time period. The input data to the support vector machine (110) included different parameters of test results at a predetermined time and three months later.