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Review
. 2020 Oct;20(10):1019-1026.
doi: 10.1080/14737159.2020.1768849. Epub 2020 May 25.

Cystatin C as a biomarker of chronic kidney disease: latest developments

Stefanie W Benoit  1 , Eileen A Ciccia  1   2 , Prasad Devarajan  1
Affiliations
Review

Cystatin C as a biomarker of chronic kidney disease: latest developments

Stefanie W Benoit et al. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, occurring in over 10% of individuals globally, and is increasing in prevalence. The limitations of traditional biomarkers of renal dysfunction, such as serum creatinine, have been well demonstrated in the literature. Therefore, augmenting clinical assessment with newer biomarkers, such as serum cystatin C, has the potential to improve disease monitoring and patient care.

Areas covered: The present paper assesses the utility and limitations of serum cystatin C as a biomarker for CKD in light of the current literature.

Expert opinion: Serum cystatin C has been well established as an early and accurate biomarker of CKD that is particularly helpful in patients for whom creatinine is an inadequate marker or for whom more cumbersome methods of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurement are impractical. Current research questions are no longer focused on if, but rather when and how often cystatin C should be used in the evaluation of CKD patients. However, transition of all reagents and estimated GFR equations to the newly established International Standard is critical for developing generalizable data.

Keywords: Biomarkers; chronic kidney disease; cystatin C; estimated glomerular filtration rate.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

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