title: Cystatin C as an early marker of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serum cystatin C has been proposed as an endogenous marker of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) because it shows a correlation with the albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of cystatin C as an early marker of diabetic nephropathy.
  
  
  METHODS
  From February 2010 to July 2010, 205 outpatients with normo- or microalbuminuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD) of stage III or less were included in this study. Various renal markers including serum cystatin C and ACR were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the ROC curve analysis, cystatin C showed a performance similar to that of serum creatinine. In addition, cystatin C levels increased with increasing CKD stage I to III and from normo- to microalbuminuria and showed a positive correlation with ACR. In a comparison of renal function markers in diabetic patients according to serum cystatin C level, all markers including ACR, serum creatinine, and eGFR showed significant differences between patients with cystatin C level < 1.06 mg/L and those with cystatin C > or = 1.06 mg/L.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum cystatin C is a useful marker of early renal impairment in type 2 diabetic patients because it reflects both a decrease in GFR and elevated ACR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 134-727, The Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: You La
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 134-727, The Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myeong Hee
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 134-727, The Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-In
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul 134-727, The Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003404:Creatinine