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Postsurgical inflammatory response is not associated with increased serum cystatin C values
Torbjörn Akerfeldt1, Johanna Helmersson, Anders Larsson
1Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Insights
Inflammation does not affect cystatin C levels. A study on orthopedic surgery patients found that while C-reactive protein (CRP) significantly increased post-surgery, cystatin C levels remained unchanged, indicating no direct link between inflammation and cystatin C.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Chemistry
- Nephrology
Background:
- Cystatin C serves as a marker for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cardiovascular risk.
- Studies suggest a link between inflammatory markers and cystatin C.
- It is hypothesized that inflammation itself may elevate cystatin C levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of an induced inflammatory response on human cystatin C levels.
- To determine if surgical inflammation alters cystatin C concentrations.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from 29 orthopedic surgery patients.
- C-reactive protein (CRP) and cystatin C levels were measured pre-surgery and at four and thirty days post-surgery.
Main Results:
- Orthopedic surgery induced a significant increase in CRP levels by day four (median 137.3 mg/L) compared to pre-surgery levels (median 1.94 mg/L).
- No significant changes in cystatin C levels were observed at four or thirty days post-surgery compared to pre-surgery baseline.
Conclusions:
- An orthopedic surgery-induced inflammatory response does not lead to alterations in cystatin C levels.
- Cystatin C may not be directly influenced by acute inflammatory responses in humans.
Objectives:
Cystatin C is used both as a glomerular filtration (GFR) marker and a cardiovascular risk marker. There are several studies showing an association between cystatin C and inflammatory markers and it has been suggested that the inflammatory response in itself could result in elevated cystatin C levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate if an induced inflammatory response has an effect on cystatin C levels in humans.
Materials And Methods:
CRP and cystatin C were analyzed in serum samples from orthopedic surgery patients (n=29). The patients were sampled prior to surgery and four and thirty days after surgery.
Results:
The surgery induced a pronounced CRP elevation on day four, median 137.3 (interquartile range 104.1-178.2) mg/L compared to 1.94 (1.20-8.70) mg/L before surgery, P<0.001, but no significant difference in cystatin C levels before and four and thirty days after surgery could be seen.
Conclusions:
The orthopedic surgery-induced inflammatory response does not cause changes in cystatin C levels.
