Abstract
Measurement of blood concentrations of cystatin C (cysC), a cysteine protease inhibitor present in human plasma, has been suggested for use as an indicator of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in a manner analogous to the use of plasma creatinine (SCR). In this study, cysC and SCR were measured in plasma from pediatric patients (4–19 years) with renal disease for whom a “gold standard” measurement of GFR via inulin clearance (CIN) was available. The data analyses were divided into two age groups: group A (4–12 years, n = 26) and group B (12–19 years, n = 34). For both age groups, the linear correlation coefficient of [cysC]−1 vs CIN (mL/min/1.73 m2) (r = 0.765 for group A and r = 0.869 for group B) was less than that of the linear correlation coefficient of [SCR]−1 vs CIN (r = 0.841 for group A and r = 0.892 for group B). As a single measurement for detection of abnormal GFR, however, the optimum receiver-operator characteristic point for cysC measurement (for group A at cysC >1.2 mg/L, sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 91%; and for group B at cysC >1.4 mg/L, sensitivity = 87%, specificity = 100%) was numerically superior to that for SCR measurement (for group A at SCR >8.0 mg/L, sensitivity = 67%, specificity = 100%; and for group B at SCR >9.0 mg/L, sensitivity = 91%, specificity = 91%), using a reference value for normal GFR of CIN > 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. However, these differences were not statistically significant. CysC measurement appears to be broadly equivalent to SCR measurement for estimation of GFR in pediatric patients.
Clinical benefits of using inulin clearance and cystatin C for determining glomerular filtration rate in HIV-1-infected individuals treated with dolutegravir
