Cystatin C is Indispensable for Evaluation of Kidney Disease

The present minireview of the place of cystatin C in clinical medicine emphasizes, and discuss the evidence, that cystatin C-based GFR-estimating equations do not require the use of vague terms like race and sex, that cystatin C-based GFR-esti mating equations are useful for both children and adults, including the elderly, that the best GFR-estimation requires simultaneous use of both cystatin C- and creatinine-based equations, that cystatin C-based GFR-estimating equations are superior to creatinine-based equations in predicting end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular manifestations, hospitalisation and death, and, finally that cystatin C is required to diagnose the new syndrome "Shrunken Pore Syndrome" with its high mortality and morbidity, even in the absence of reduced GFR. When automated laboratory equipment is available, the cost of cystatin C is comparable to that of enzymatically determined creatinine. The conclusion is that cystatin C should be used at least as often as creatinine in clinical medicine.