Cystatin C levels in healthy kidney donors and its correlation with GFR by creatinine clearance

Objective: To determine Serum Cystatin C (S.CysC) levels in healthy potential kidney donors and its correlation with Serum Creatinine (S.Cr), Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by 24 hour urinary Creatinine clearance (CCL) and GFR by formulae of Cockcroft Gault (CCG) and Modification of diet in Renal Disease (MDRD).Methods: A Cross sectional study was conducted at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, between June and December 2012. One hundred and three potential healthy kidney donors were enrolled in the study to measure their S.CysC and correlate it with S.Cr, CCL and GFR by CCG and MDRD. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 17.Results: The mean age of the healthy kidney donors was 32.19+8.27 years with a M:F ratio of 1.86:1. The mean Serum Creatinine (S.Cr) was 0.86+0.18 mg/dl and mean S.CysC was 0.88+0.12 mg/dl. S.CysC showed significant correlation with S.Cr (r = 0.78, p 0.001), CCL (r = 0.67, p 0.001), GFR CCG (r = 0.54, p 0.001) and GFR MDRD (r = 0.67, p 0.001). Correlation of S.CysC was better than S.Cr for CCL, S.Cr (0.60) vs S.CysC (0.67) and GFR CCG, S.Cr (0.41) vs S.CysC (0.54). Correlation was comparable for MDRD, S.Cr (0.67) vs S.Cys (0.67).Conclusion: S.CysC is better marker of kidney function in potential healthy kidney donors. It is a reliable, convenient and economical marker that can be used especially in routine clinical practice.