Ruolo della cistatina C come biomarcatore di danno renale acuto e come predittore indipendente di eventi cardiovascolari, mortalità e outcome funzionale a lungo termine

Summary Introduction Serum cystatin C measurements as an early biomarker of acute kidney injury (AKI) is gaining acceptance as studies confirm and define its usefulness. The aim of this study is to determine whether increase in serum cystatin C has an impact on long-term mortality, independently from the presence of the kidney injury itself. Materials and methods A retrospective study (20-month follow-up) was conducted in 173 not selected hospitalized patients. According to serum cystatin C concentrations, patients were stratified in risk classes by quartiles (≥0.55 and Results A relationship with higher serum levels of cystatin C and mortality was found in patients with and without AKI, being stronger in patients without AKI. After multivariate adjustment, the highest quartile of cystatin C (>1.5 mg/L) was associated with a lower risk for long-term mortality. The statistical analysis (Cox regression) of the independent variables as far as mortality is concerned confirmed the significance of our result (RR 3.60; IC 1.73–7.48; p  = 0.001). Conclusions In summary, elevated serum cystatin C level (>1.5 mg/L) was strongly and independently associated with negative clinical outcomes such as mortality and cardiovascular events, independently from the kidney injury itself. The dosage of cystatin C might play an important role in clinical practice for the assessment of cardiovascular risk stratification.