Urinary C5b-9 as a Prognostic Marker in IgA Nephropathy.

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Immunology
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) pathogenesis involves the complement system, specifically the terminal complement complex C5b-9.
• Evaluating novel biomarkers is crucial for predicting IgAN progression and treatment response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prognostic value of urinary C5b-9 levels in patients with IgAN.
• To investigate the correlation between urinary C5b-9 and clinical outcomes, including proteinuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 33 patients with biopsy-proven IgAN.
• Analysis of baseline and post-treatment urinary C5b-9 levels.
• Correlation analysis with proteinuria, eGFR changes, and treatment response.

Main Results:

• Baseline urinary C5b-9 positively correlated with proteinuria at diagnosis (r = 0.548, p = 0.001).
• Post-treatment changes in urinary C5b-9 correlated with proteinuria and inversely with eGFR changes at 6 months.
• Urinary C5b-9 changes correlated with time-averaged proteinuria but not eGFR decline rate.
• Baseline urinary C5b-9 was not an independent predictor of treatment response (OR 0.997, p = 0.078).

Conclusions:

• Urinary C5b-9 shows correlations with proteinuria and kidney function parameters in IgAN.
• Current evidence suggests urinary C5b-9 is not a sufficiently promising prognostic biomarker for IgAN.
• Further research is warranted to explore the role of urinary C5b-9 in IgAN.