Abstract
Background. The plasma level of cystatin C is a better marker than plasma creatinine for successful aging. It has been assumed that the advantage of cystatin C is not only due to it being a better marker for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) than creatinine, but also because an inflammatory state of a patient induces a raised cystatin C level. However, the observations of an association between cystatin C level and inflammation stem from large cohort studies. The present work concerns the cystatin C levels and degree of inflammation in longitudinal studies of individual subjects without inflammation, who undergo elective surgery. Methods. Cystatin C, creatinine, and the inflammatory markers CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin and orosomucoid were measured in plasma samples from 35 patients the day before elective surgery and subsequently during seven consecutive days. Results. Twenty patients had CRP-levels below 1 mg/L before surgery and low levels of the additional inflammatory markers. Surgery caused marked inflammation with high peak values of CRP and SAA on the second day after the operation. The cystatin C level did not change significantly during the observation period and did not correlate significantly with the level of any of the four inflammatory markers. The creatinine level was significantly reduced on the first postoperative day but reached the preoperative level towards the end of the observation period. Conclusion. The inflammatory status of a patient does not influence the role of cystatin C as a marker of successful aging, nor of GFR.
Highlights
Increased levels of cystatin C have been shown to be associated with less successful aging than normal levels of cystatin C and cystatin C has been described to have a better diagnostic performance than creatinine to predict successful aging [1,2,3,4,5,6]
It is known that a decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is associated with less successful aging [7,8] and it has been speculated that the advantage of cystatin C as a marker of successful aging is caused by it being a better marker for GFR than creatinine [1,2,9]
The presence of systemic inflammation in 35 patients scheduled for elective surgery was investigated by analysis of the plasma levels of four commonly used markers for inflammation: CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin and orosomucoid
Summary
Increased levels of cystatin C have been shown to be associated with less successful aging than normal levels of cystatin C and cystatin C has been described to have a better diagnostic performance than creatinine to predict successful aging [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Studies of large patient cohorts have revealed a statistically significant correlation between cystatin C level and degree of inflammation and it has been suggested that cystatin C is a marker of GFR and of the degree of inflammation, explaining its superiority as a marker of successful aging [5,10,11,12,13]. The present study was undertaken to verify or refute a causal relationship between the levels of cystatin C or creatinine and the degree of inflammation. It concerns modification of the inflammatory status of patients and its influence upon their plasma levels of cystatin C and creatinine. The inflammatory status of a patient does not influence the role of cystatin C as a marker of successful aging, nor of GFR
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
