A Comparative Study between Serum Cystatin C and Microalbuminuria in the Diagnosis of Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy is the most serious complication associated with diabetes mellitus and the diagnosis typically relies on the identification of albuminuria. However, there are cases of renal insufficiency without albuminuria reported in diabetic patients. This study aimed to evaluate the association between microalbuminuria and serum cystatin C, as well as to assess the clinical usefulness of cystatin C in predicting the renal impairment in diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study conducted on type 2 diabetic patients and healthy controls, who were categorized into four groups based on their albuminuria levels. All the participants were investigated for serum cystatin C, albuminuria, and traditional markers of nephropathy. RESULTS: The level of cystatin C was significantly elevated in diabetic patients as compared to healthy individuals. The mean ± standard deviation progressively raised among the normoalbuminuric diabetic patients (1.32 ± 0.32 mg/L) and reached the peak in nephropathy patients (1.86 ± 0.25 mg/L). There was a significant positive correlation of cystatin C with albuminuria ( P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of cystatin C showed an area under the curve of 0.881 (95% confidence interval, 0.832-0.930) with a sensitivity of 80.83% and a specificity of 86.67%, demonstrating the diagnostic efficacy of cystatin C ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Elevated serum cystatin C level was observed in type 2 diabetic patients before the development of notable albuminuria, and its concentration rises as nephropathy advances, indicating that cystatin C could serve as a potential and earlier marker of renal dysfunction compared to albuminuria.
Source: Annals of African Medicine
Authors: Shiny Manuel, C. K. Vijayasamundeeswari, Anita Johnson, Amal Johnson, Thamilselvi Ramachandran, K. J. Shiny
Language: English
Subfield: Nephrology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7126153443