Cystatin C is a novel marker of -

Cystatin C, a marker for early-stage chronic kidney dysfunction, mediates the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Cystatin C is a low-molecular protein (13.4 kDa) that is synthesized at a constant rate in all nucleated cells. Cystatin C is freely filtered through the glomerulus and then reabsorbed and fully catabolized, without secretion or subsequent reabsorption into the circulation. Researchers have proposed cystatin C as a more reliable endogenous marker of early renal dysfunction. It has also been repoed that higher serum cystatin C may be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and subsequent moality without established chronic kidney disease (CKD), although the results were not always consistent. Ref: Medscape