Prognostic value of beta-2 microglobulin on mortality in chronic kidney disease patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to delve into whether beta-2 microglobulin could assess all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. PubMed and Embase were systematically searched. Hazard risk and 95%CI were pooled using random-effect models. A total of eight studies were involved according to the inclusion and exclusion criterions. By meta-analysis, each 1mg/L increase in beta-2 microglobulin displayed positive relationships to the risk of all-cause mortality (hazard risk 1.03, 95%CI=1.02-1.03) and cardiovascular events (hazard risk 1.04, 95%CI=1.00-1.08) in patients with dialysis. However, the relationship between elevated level of serum beta-2 microglobulin as a categorical variable and mortality was not significant. The prognostic value of elevated beta-2 microglobulin might be significant in ESRD patients with dialysis and a proper cutoff value to predict mortality should be determined in the future.