Serum Cystatin C, Kidney Injury Molecule-1, Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin, Klotho and Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 in The Early Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury Associated With Sepsis in a Chinese Emergency Cohort Study

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) was a common and critical complication of sepsis, and is associated with unacceptable morbidity and mortality. Current diagnostic criteria for AKI was insensitive for early detection. Novel biomarkers included cystatin C, KIM-1, NGAL, klotho and FGF-23 which can predict AKI earlier may allow immediate interventions. We aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of these biomarkers for detecting AKI in sepsis patients. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted from May 2018 and November 2020, enrolling sequential 162 sepsis patients. AKI’s definition was according to 2012 KDIGO criteria and we divided patients into non-AKI (n=102) and AKI (n=60) groups. Serum levels of several AKI biomarkers were detected by ELISA. The relationship between biomarker levels on admission of AKI were analyzed and discrimination performances comparison were performed. Results: AKI incidence was up to 37.0% (60/162) during hospitalization. Compared with non-AKI group, both serum cystatin C, KIM-1, NGAL and FGF-23 were significantly elevated at admission in septic AKI patients. The areas under the receiver operating curves demonstrated that serum cystatin C had modest discriminative powers for predicting AKI after sepsis, and cystatin C combined with serum creatinine in the prediction of septic AKI increased the diagnostic sensitivity prominently. Conclusion: Serum cystatin C, KIM-1, NGAL and FGF-23 levels are both increased in septic AKI patients. Our study provides reliable evidence that cystatin C solely and combined with serum creatinine may accurately and sensitively predict septic AKI when patients on admission.