The role of cystatin C in the risk of hip fractures in the elderly

Abstract

World’s population is aging. The elderly are at high risk for both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hip fractures. Severe chronic kidney disease is a well-known risk factor for fractures and death especially in the elderly. Mild and moderate stages of kidney disease are often undiagnosed and/or untreated, thus their effect on fracture risk is not well established. Many ways of estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) have been developed but there are very few studies recommending the best and most valuable method for estimated GFR (eGFR) calculation that could correlate with fracture risk. In this mini- review we searched the literature concerning the use of cystatin C in the estimation of GFR related to the risk of hip fractures in the elderly. Our goal was to review the most important recent evidence on whether cystatin C could become a useful biomarker for the prediction of fracture risk. We concluded that there is evidence to support the use of cystatin C in hip fracture risk prediction in elder patients with chronic kidney disease.