Serum levels of vitamin D, and urinary levels of KIM-1 and MCP-1 in patients with sickle cell anemia

Abstract

Objective: to measure non-conventional renal function biomarkers in patients with sickle cell anemia and associate them with serum levels of vitamin D. Method: this is an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study. Fifty-one adult patients with sickle cell anemia participated in the study, and the control group consisted of 17 healthy adult blood donors. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were determined by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA), and renal function was assessed by measuring urinary Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1). Results were expressed as median (interquartile range). Student’s t-test, Welch analysis of variance, and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to compare differences between groups. Results: patients had higher serum levels of vitamin D than the control group, besides a higher prevalence of vitamin D sufficiency. Urinary levels of KIM-1 and MCP-1 were increased in patients compared to the control group. There was no relationship between low serum vitamin D levels and the likelihood of developing kidney disease. Conclusions: this study provides important data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with sickle cell anemia and demonstrates that there is no relationship between low levels of vitamin D and the development of kidney disease.