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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Nov 19:12:766516.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.766516. eCollection 2021.

Association Between Serum Cystatin C and Thyroid Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Caihong Xin  1 , Jing Xie  2 , Huaying Fan  2 , Xin Sun  2 , Bimin Shi  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association Between Serum Cystatin C and Thyroid Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Caihong Xin et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: Cystatin C (CysC) is often used to diagnose and monitor renal diseases. Although some studies have investigated the association between serum CysC levels and thyroid diseases, their reported results were inconsistent. Therefore, the relationship between CysC levels and thyroid diseases remains controversial.

Aim: This meta-analysis aimed to statistically evaluate serum CysC levels in patients with thyroid diseases.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and Wiley Online Library databases. The following search terms were used for the title or abstract: "Cystatin C" or "CysC" in combination with the terms "thyroid disease", "thyroid function", "hypothyroidism", or "hyperthyroidism". The results of the systematic analysis were presented as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Eleven articles (1,265 cases and 894 controls) were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the serum CysC levels of patients with hyperthyroidism were significantly higher than those of the controls (SMD: 1.79, 95% CI [1.34, 2.25]), and the serum CysC levels of patients with hypothyroidism were significantly lower than those of the controls (SMD -0.59, 95% CI [-0.82, -0.36]). Moreover, the treatment of thyroid diseases significantly affected serum CysC levels.

Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this meta-analysis is the first to evaluate serum CysC levels in patients with thyroid diseases. Our findings suggest that thyroid function affects serum CysC levels and that serum CysC may be an effective marker for monitoring thyroid diseases.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=258022], identifier CRD42021258022].

Keywords: CysC; cystatin C; meta-analysis; systematic review; thyroid disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the detailed procedure for the inclusion or exclusion of selected studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plots and funnel plots of serum CysC in patients with hyperthyroidism compared with controls. Diamond represents the SMDs at 95% CI. (A) Forest plots; (B) Funnel plots. CysC, Cystatin C; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots and funnel plots of serum CysC in patients with hypothyroidism compared with controls. Diamond represents the pooled SMDs at 95% CI. (A) Forest plots; (B) Funnel plots. CysC, Cystatin C; SMD, standardized mean difference; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The sensitivity analysis results of serum CysC in patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism compared with controls. (A) Hyperthyroidism; (B) Hypothyroidism. CysC, Cystatin C.
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