2020-03-12: World Kidney Day 2020

In correspondence to today´s World Kidney Day, we also want to increase awareness of the importance of the kidneys. Every day our kidneys keep the composition and electrolytes of our blood in balance by filtering ~1500 L blood per day. The organs filter metabolites, urea and toxins from this amount of blood and remove them by producing just 0.5-2 L of urine. Kidney disease has many causes but often no symptoms in its early stages. It can proceed undetected until kidney function is significantly impaired. The occurrence of kidney diseases is very common and disease progression is harmful, but nephropathies are well treatable if diagnosed early. One of the most established parameters for the evaluation of kidney functions is dependent on creatinine and creatinine clearance. In contrast to creatinine, cystatin C is a marker that is independent of factors such as sex, muscle mass, diet, most inflammatory processes, or age. Cystatin C represents a superior alternative for the detection of reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) compared to creatinine. Also, Cystatin C is sensitive for the identification of mildly to moderately impaired kidney function, and therefore suitable for the detection of early stages of kidney impairment, especially in the “creatinine blind-range” defined by a GFR of 40 to 80 mL/min/1.73m².

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