title: Urinary neopterin concentrations in patients with Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is of great clinical importance in restricted areas of Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Romania, since the etiology of BEN is still unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  In urine samples from 48 patients (41 females and 7 males, aged 65.6 +/- 6.87 years) with BEN living in an endemic area of Vratza district, Bulgaria, neopterin concentrations were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compared with other clinical and laboratory investigations, including creatinine, hemoglobin, and erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESRs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary neopterin concentrations were 263 +/- 128 (mean +/- SD; range, 78 to 786 micromol/mol creatinine), 24 (50%) of BEN patients presented with increased concentrations as compared to the established normal ranges. Average ESRs were increased (1 hour, 29.0 +/- 14.7 mm/hour) and hemoglobin was decreased (109.3 +/- 16.4 g/L). Hemoglobin correlated inversely with ESRs (rs = -0.787 and -0.780) and creatinine concentrations (r = -0.690, all P < 0.001), but not with neopterin concentrations. Neopterin concentrations also did not correlate with serum creatinine levels. There existed an age relationship of ESR, creatinine, and hemoglobin, but not of neopterin. Neopterin concentrations were slightly lower in five females with low titers of antibodies against local B1 hantavirus strain (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings can support an immune-mediated inflammatory process in the pathogenesis of BEN only in a subgroup of patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Draga
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Toncheva
authors.forename: Angel S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Galabov
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laich
authors.forename: Srebrena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atanassova
authors.forename: Bojin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kamarinchev
authors.forename: Tzvetan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001449:Balkan Nephropathy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000652:urine*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002031:Bulgaria; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019798:Neopterin