What do we know about biomarkers in diabetic kidney disease?

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains the leading cause of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the most common reason for renal replacement therapy. Research has been carried out for years to find a marker that would enable early identification of people at risk of DKD occurrence, as well as people who will progress from DKD to ESRD. With regard to daily medical practice, the only existing prognostic biomarkers in DKD remain urine albumin-creatinine ratio based on the urinary assessment of albumin and creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate — on the basis of serum creatinine concentration. The development of other biomarkers that would enable the identification of patients at risk of DKD, the stratification of the risk of progression to ESRD, as well as the creation of personalised therapy is currently of great interest. This article discusses selected studies in this field, which have been published in recent years