Biomarkers of Inflammation and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Individuals with Recent-Onset Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Context: While inflammation has been associated with kidney function in long-standing diabetes, its possible association in newly diagnosed diabetes is unknown.

Objective: To investigate cross-sectional and prospective associations between biomarkers of inflammation and kidney function in recent-onset diabetes.

Methods: The study included individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes with known diabetes duration of <1 year from the German Diabetes Study. Baseline serum concentrations of 74 biomarkers were measured using proximity extension assay technology and their associations with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and kidney function decline over 5 years were tested using multiple linear and logistic regression analysis.

Results: The cross-sectional analysis included 165 individuals with type 1 diabetes and 291 with type 2 diabetes. Baseline eGFR was higher in type 1 compared with type 2 diabetes (102 ± 15 vs 90 ± 16 mL/min/1.73 m2; P < 0.0001). After full adjustment for covariates and multiple testing, 7 biomarkers were associated with lower baseline eGFR in type 1 diabetes and 24 were associated with lower baseline eGFR in type 2 diabetes. Among these biomarkers, 6 biomarkers (CD5, CCL23, CST5, IL-10RB, PD-L1, TNFRSF9) were inversely associated with eGFR in both diabetes types. The prospective analysis did not detect associations between inflammatory biomarkers and kidney function decline. No evidence of an interaction between diabetes type and inflammatory biomarkers was found.

Conclusion: Several biomarkers of inflammation associate with lower baseline eGFR in recent-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but do not associate with kidney function loss during the first 5 years after the diagnosis of diabetes.