High levels of inflammatory marker in healthy adults linked with decline in kidney function

Elevated serum soluble TNF receptor-1 concentrations correlated with faster kidney function decline during a 10-year period in a healthy multi-ethnic population independent of prior risk factors for kidney disease progression, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

“Many people continue to progressively lose kidney function despite treatment with current medications. New treatments are urgently needed to help prevent or slow the loss of kidney function,” Pavan K. Bhatraju, MD, MSc, said in a press release from the American Society of Nephrology. “Our studies identify a novel marker that is strongly related to kidney function decline over time in a large multi-ethnic cohort and suggest follow-up studies are warranted to investigate the potential role of [serum soluble TNF receptor-1] sTNFR-1 in the development of kidney function decline.”

Bhatraju and colleagues tested correlations between baseline sTNFR-1 concentrations and the 10-year decline in eGFR for 2,548 participants without kidney and cardiovascular disease who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. At enrollment and at 3 years, 5 years and 10 years, investigators determined the serum creatine concentrations.

Results showed the mean baseline eGFR was 79 ml/min per 1.73². Investigators noted serum sTNFR-1 inversely correlated with the baseline eGFR. There were 110 patients during the median follow-up of 9.3 years who developed a 40% decline of eGFR. There was a correlation between each standard deviation higher concentration of sTNFR-1 and a higher risk of a 40% decline in eGFR.

According to researchers, the highest sTNFR-1 correlated with an adjusted annualized decline in eGFR of 1.94%. The correlations persisted among subgroups classified by demographics, hypertension, diabetes and baseline CKD status. – by Monica Jaramillo

Disclosure s : The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

References:

Bhatraju PK, et al. J Am Soc Nephrol.2018;doi:10.1681/ASN.2018070719.