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Updated: May 13, 2026

Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Cystatin C, kidney function, and cardiovascular risk factors in primary hypertension
João Victor Salgado1, Ana Karina França, Nayra Anielly Cabral
1Kidney Disease Prevention Centre, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil. jvlsalgado@yahoo.com.br
Insights
Serum cystatin C (Scys) effectively screens for chronic kidney disease in hypertensive patients, even with normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It also helps predict cardiovascular disease risk in this population.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) screening is crucial in hypertensive patients.
- Traditional markers like serum creatinine (Scr) may underestimate renal dysfunction.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is elevated in hypertensive individuals with CKD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical utility of serum cystatin C (Scys) for CKD screening in primary hypertensive patients.
- To assess Scys-based equations for CKD detection and CVD risk correlation.
- To compare Scys with serum creatinine (Scr) and microalbuminuria (MA) in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 199 middle-aged hypertensive adults.
- Assessed kidney function using Scr, Scys, 24-hour MA, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) via Larsson and MDRD equations.
- Used Bland-Altman analysis for equation agreement.
Main Results:
- Elevated Scys levels detected in 22% of patients, irrespective of normal MDRD-GFR.
- Scys showed better correlation with systolic blood pressure and MA than Scr.
- Age > 60 years and male gender were independently associated with high Scys levels.
Conclusions:
- Serum cystatin C is a valuable screening tool for early renal function decline in hypertensive patients.
- Scys aids in identifying individuals at higher risk for cardiovascular events.
- Cystatin C offers a more sensitive marker than traditional methods in this population.
Objective:
To investigate the clinical usefulness of serum cystatin C (Scys) and cystatin C-based equations for the screening of chronic kidney disease in primary hypertensive patients, and correlate these markers with risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was performed in 199 middle-aged adults at a basic health unit. Kidney function assessment included measurements of serum creatinine (Scr) and Scys levels, 24-hour microalbuminuria (MA), as well as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) through Larsson and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equations. Bland- Altman plot analysis was used to calculate the agreement between equations.
Results:
High levels of Scys were found in 22% of the patients, even with normal values of GFR estimated by MDRD study equation. Systolic blood pressure and MA correlated better with Scys than Scr, but there was no correlation between Scys and diastolic blood pressure. Gender, age > 60 years, MA, and uric acid were significantly associated with high Scys levels. After multivariate analysis, only age > 60 yrs (RR = 6.4; p < 0.001) and male gender (RR = 3.0; p = 0.006) remained associated with high Scys levels.
Conclusion:
Cystatin C can be used as a screening marker both for detecting mild declines of renal function and for preventing the risk of cardiovascular events in hypertensive subjects with presumably normal renal function.
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