High Apolipoprotein Linked to Kidney Disease

Researchers have found that elevated levels of the serum protein apolipoprotein A-IV (apo A-IV) may serve as a biomarker for increased risk of development and progression of kidney disease.

Investigators at Innsbruck Medical University (Austria) worked over a seven-year period with a group of 177 non-diabetic patients with primary kidney disease classified as mild to moderate. Each patient's lipid and apolipoprotein profiles were monitored on a regular basis. Determination of glomerular filtration rate was used to assess kidney function.

Results published in the December 28, 2005, online edition of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology revealed that of all the parameters measured, only the apoA-IV level was significantly related to deterioration in kidney function. The average time to progressive kidney disease was 54 months for patients with apoA-IV levels above the median, compared to 70 months for those with lower apoA-IV levels.

Senior author Dr. Florian Kronenberg, professor of medial genetics at Innsbruck Medical University, said. "Our results show that apoA-IV is an excellent predictor for the progression of kidney disease, adding important and additional information besides the exact determination of kidney function. It therefore seems that apoA-IV is not only an early marker of renal impairment, but also predicts whether the kidney function will worsen during the upcoming years.”




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