Can Cystatin C Help Diagnose Acute Kidney Injury in Kids?

Serum cystatin C can help estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in adults when serum creatinine is unreliable. Whether it’s also helpful for diagnosing acute kidney injury (AKI) in children is unclear.

To learn more, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 26 studies that together involved 3700 hospitalized children up to 18 years of age. In all studies, serum cystatin C was measured within 48 hours of suspected AKI, and AKI was diagnosed using traditional criteria. Cutoffs for elevated cystatin C ranged from 0.7 to 1.5 mg/l, depending on the study.