Biomarkers in Renal Vasculitis

Abstract

The use of biomarkers in glomerular diseases has been subject of investigation during the last decades, as it can provide worthwhile evidence in diagnosis, but also, it can guide treatment and give information about prognosis and response. Renal biopsy is still the compulsory technique to establish diagnosis, and also to offer information about the severity of renal damage. However, as an invasive method, it cannot be regularly performed during follow up, so the need to find and establish measurement of molecules, easily collected, which are associated with disease pathogenesis and predict renal function outcome seems very attractive to nephrolo-gists. The renal complications of systemic vasculitis are very important for the outcome of the disease, and several substances and molecules, such as inflammatory cells, autoantibodies, cytokines, chemokines and growth factors are produced and may serve as biomarkers to provide useful information for diagnosis, follow up of the disease.