News: Three biomarkers show promise for monitoring CKD, study says

The levels of renalase, dopamine, and norepinephrine in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) show promise as markers of disease progression, hypertension development, and cardiovascular events, according to a new study published in BMC Nephrology.

Researchers collected blood samples from 117 patients with CKD undergoing three different types of therapy, as well as a control group of 31 healthy volunteers. Of the patients with CKD, there were 32 undergoing hemodialysis, 31 undergoing peritoneal dialysis, 24 renal transplant recipients, and 30 being conservatively treated for CKD stages 2–5. They found that the choice of renal replacement therapy could affect the levels of the three biomarkers, along with factors such as dialysis duration and cause and stage of CKD.

Data showed that patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis had the highest renalase levels, those treated conservatively had the highest dopamine levels, and both those treated conservatively and those who had just undergone renal transplant had the highest norepinephrine levels. They observed that patients with CKD stages 1 and 5 had low levels of renalase, and the levels increased from stage 2 until they peaked at stage 4 before decreasing during end-stage renal disease (due to reduced glomerular filtration).

The study also found that patients on dialysis for over five years had the highest renalase levels, with an average annual increase of 0.37 ng/mL. In patients with CKD due to hypertension, renalase levels varied by dialysis duration, with the lowest levels in patients on dialysis for up to 12 months and the highest in those treated for 3-4 years.

“Monitoring the concentration of renalase, dopamine, and norepinephrine can offer valuable insights into the progression of chronic kidney disease, the potential for cardiovascular events, and the prognosis and treatment outcomes for patients with CKD,” the authors wrote. “Furthermore, various influencing factors, such as the duration of dialysis therapy, the etiology, and the stage of CKD, are significant considerations.”

Editor’s note: To read Medscape Medical News’ coverage of this story, click here. To access the BMC Nephrology study, click here.