Biomarkers of acute kidney injury in patients with nephrotic syndrome

Introduction: Emergence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) requires prompt diagnosis and differentiation between acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and proliferative glomerulonephritis. We studied the potential use of commercial urinary biomarkers' tests in the diagnosis of AKI in patients with NS. Methods: A cross sectional estimate of urinary concentrations of KIM-1 and NGAL was performed in 40 patients with NS: 9 with proliferative glomerulopathy, being 4 with AKI and 31 without proliferative glomerulopathy, being 15 with AKI. AKI was defined using the KDIGO criteria. Results: The mean age was 35 +/- 16 years. The main diagnoses were focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (10, 25%), membranous glomerulopathy (10, 25%), minimal change disease (7, 18%), lupus nephritis (6, 15%), and proliferative glomerulonephritis (3, 8%). Patients with ATN had higher levels of urinary KIM-1 (P = 0.0157) and NGAL (P = 0.023) than patients without ATN. The urinary concentrations of KIM-1 (P= 0.009) and NGAL (P= 0.002) were higher in patients with AKI than in patients without AKI. Urinary NGAL and KIM-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with ATN without proliferative glomerulonephritis than in patients with proliferative glomerulonephritis (P = 0.003 and P=0.024, respectively). Conclusions: Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) estimates correlated with histological signs of ATN and were able to discriminate patients with AKI even in conditions of NS. Furthermore, urinary levels of NGAL and KIM-1 may be useful in the differential diagnosis of acute tubular necrosis and exudative glomerulonephritis in patients with nephrotic syndrome.