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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter June 14, 2014

The serum uromodulin level is associated with kidney function

  • Lorenz Risch EMAIL logo , Karl Lhotta , Dominik Meier , Pedro Medina-Escobar , Urs E. Nydegger and Martin Risch

Abstract

Background: In chronic kidney diseases of various etiologies, the urinary excretion of uromodulin is usually decreased in parallel with the glomerular filtration rate. This study aimed to investigate whether serum uromodulin is associated with kidney function.

Methods: Within the framework of the Seniorlabor study, a subset of subjectively healthy individuals 60 years of age and older were included in the study. Serum uromodulin was measured with ELISA. The relationship between serum uromodulin and different stages of kidney function (i.e., cystatin C-based 2012-CKD-EPI eGFRCysC>90 mL/min/1.73 m2, 60–89 mL/min/1.73 m2, 45–59 mL/min/1.73 m2, and <45 mL/min/1.73 m2) was investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between serum uromodulin and other markers of kidney function (i.e., creatinine, cystatin C, and urea) was assessed.

Results: In total, 289 participants (140 males/149 females; mean age 71±7 years) were included in the study. There were significant differences in serum uromodulin among the four groups according to different kidney function stages (p<0.001). Serum uromodulin displayed inverse relationships with creatinine (r=–0.39), cystatin C (r=–0.42), and urea (r=–0.30) and, correspondingly, a positive relationship with eGFRCysC (r=0.38, p<0.001 for all). These associations remained intact when fitting a regression model that incorporated age, gender, body mass index, and current smoking status as covariates.

Conclusions: Serum uromodulin behaves in a manner opposite that of the different conventional renal retention markers by displaying lower concentrations with decreasing kidney function. As uromodulin is produced by the cells of the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, lower uromodulin serum levels may reflect a reduction in number or function of these cells in chronic kidney disease.


Corresponding author: Lorenz Risch, MD, MPH, Labormedizinisches Zentrum Dr. Risch, Waldeggstrasse 37, 3097 Liebefeld, Switzerland, Phone: +41 31 9790000, Fax: +41 31 9790099, E-mail: ; and Private University, Triesen, Liechtenstein; and Division of Clinical Biochemistry, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

Acknowledgments

We thank Dorothea Hillmann, Elsbeth Lenggenhager, Carmel Froidevaux-Walz, and Franck Flahaut for their excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ conflict of interest disclosure: The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article. Research sponsoring played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

Research funding: None declared.

Employment or leadership: None declared.

Honorarium: None declared.

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Supplemental Material

The online version of this article (DOI 10.1515/cclm-2014-0505) offers supplementary material, available to authorized users.


Received: 2014-3-17
Accepted: 2014-5-21
Published Online: 2014-6-14
Published in Print: 2014-12-1

©2014 by De Gruyter

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