High Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Diseases and Increasing Focus on Monitoring the Progression of Kidney Disease to Boost Demand for Renal Biomarkers

 

The clinical significance of renal biomarkers is in the monitoring of kidney health during a kidney disease progression. High prevalence of chronic kidney diseases is expected to boost R&D in these biomarkers. According to the study, ‘Chronic kidney disease progression and mortality risk profiles in Germany: results from the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study’, published in January 2020, after 4.5 years, the incidence of end-stage kidney disease, was 8% and of deaths without end-stage kidney disease 16% among patients with eGFR ≥30 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 37% and 19% for eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Renal Biomarkers can also be used in patients undergoing various therapies, to monitor for improvement or deterioration. If urine shows low levels of albumin, for example, an indication of impending surgery, or if there is blood in the urine, an indication of organ transplantation.

Renal biomarkers can also be used as additional treatments for people suffering from chronic kidney disease. Though not normally associated with any disease process, elevated Renal Quality and Volume (RVV) levels may mean that the patient is undergoing kidney disease progression. To monitor the progression of kidney disease, renal biomarkers can be used to analyze the changes in the levels of RVV, albumin, protein and uric acid crystals in the urine over time, as well as in the kidney function and blood chemistry over that period. These data will then help in determining whether treatment is necessary to slow or reverse these trends.

Renal biomarkers can be used to evaluate possible abnormalities in the kidneys. The most common abnormal findings are protein and uric acid crystals in urine. However, it should be noted that the presence of these small crystals does not necessarily mean that there is kidney disease. Some people actually have excessive protein content in their urine, which can be caused by hyperactive thyroid or diabetes. In these cases, RVV measurement can serve as one of the few definitive tests in order to determine the underlying cause.

Renal biomarkers may also be used in patients with borderline kidney function. Because the kidneys play such an important role in maintaining the health of the entire body, biomarkers provide a real time reflection of kidney functioning in order to better understand the disease process. Although kidneys removed from patients can provide valuable information for risk assessment and future treatments, having them removed without determining the necessity of those treatments can actually do more harm than good. Patients who have been treated with dialysis as a result of cancer, for example, often find that their kidneys are still operating below optimal efficiency even after a year of such care.