Landscape of peripheral immunity in patients with upper urinary tract urolithiasis and the underlying correlations with renal function.

Introduction: Inflammatory and immunological responses are reported involved in the pathogenesis and progression of obstructive nephropathy (ON). This study was designed to investigate the characteristics of peripheral immunity in patients with upper urinary tract urolithiasis and analyze the underlying associations with renal function.

Methods: Patients with unilateral upper urinary tract urolithiasis meeting the operation indications were prospectively enrolled. Preoperative circulating immune cells and inflammatory cytokines were detected in our clinical laboratory, and the indicators of renal function and calculi related parameters were particularly recorded. Patients were sectionalized into subgroups on the basis of the lesion of calculi. Characteristics of peripheral immunity in each subgroup were investigated by statistical approaches, and the underlying correlations with the degree of hydronephrosis (HN) and renal function were discussed in corresponding group.

Results: Patients with ureteral calculi presented severer HN compared with renal calculi, especial middle ureteral calculi, acting as the chief culprit of ON, exhibiting the highest serum creatine and blood urea nitrogen, most impaired estimated glomerular filtration rate, and severest HN. In addition, serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6 were demonstrated presenting statistical differences between ureteral calculi and renal calculi patients, exhibiting underlying values in comprehending ON. However, circulating immune cells were demonstrated no obvious differences among groups.

Conclusions: Circulating inflammatory cytokines, referred in particular to serum IL-8 and IL-6 were partially associated with kidney injury in patients with upper urinary tract urolithiasis. But the specific influences and mechanisms between them needed to be investigated furthermore.