Abstract:

Background/aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is one of the most important health problems worldwide, could be considered as an immune inflammatory disease. A prognostic biomarker may be helpful in determining the progression of CKD in children. We aimed to investigate the serum vasohibin-1 and soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) levels as potential biomarkers in children with predialysis CKD. Materials and methods: Forty-seven children with stage 2-4 CKD and 20 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional study. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary excretion of protein were measured in 24-h urine samples. Serum vasohibin-1 levels and sST2 were measured. The results were expressed as pg/mL and ng/mL, respectively. Results: Serum vasohibin-1 levels were similar between the patients and the control group (P > 0.05), but serum vasohibin-1 levels were higher in patients with proteinuria than in nonproteinuric patients (2574.5 ± 701.60 vs. 1822.4 ± 300.32 pg/mL, P = 0.001). A positive correlation was found between serum vasohibin-1 levels and 24-h urine protein values in patients (P = 0.036). Serum sST2 levels were higher in patients than the control group (P = 0.013). The patients with hypertension had higher sST2 levels than normotensive patients (P = 0.015). Serum vasohibin-1 and sST2 levels were not correlated with age, GFR, albumin, hemoglobin, or PTH levels. Conclusion: Serum vasohibin-1 and sST2 levels were not associated with decline in renal function. Elevated serum vasohibin levels may be a compensatory response to proteinuria in patients with predialysis CKD. The measurement of serum sST2 levels might contribute to early detection of hypertension in patients.

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