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

Revista Da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992)
|February 27, 2013
PubMed

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.
Abstract

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