Observational studyEndocrinology, diabetes & metabolism2026
Podocyte Markers as Diagnostic Biomarkers of Diabetic Nephropathy: A Case-Control Comparison to Haemato-Biochemical Markers in a Ghanaian Population.
Observational study in Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
introductionSeveral challenges have been raised about the ability of urine microalbumin and eGFR to sufficiently diagnose nephropathy, especially in the early stages. Emerging evidence suggests that podocyte-associated biomarkers, along with routine haemato-biochemical parameters, may offer a more accurate and cost-effective diagnostic alternative. This study, therefore, assessed the performance of podocyte markers and inexpensive haemato-biochemical parameters in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy.
methodsThis unmatched 1:1 case-control study included 134 people living with diabetes (PLWD) as cases and 134 people without diabetes (PwD) as controls. Blood samples were collected from participants for full blood count and separated serum and urine for ELISA quantification of podocyte markers. This study was designed and reported based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist for case-control studies. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 and R Language 4.4.4 at a significant level of 0.05% and 95% confidence interval.
resultsThis study found macroalbuminuric PLWD had significantly low mean cell volume, but significantly higher levels of platelet and mean platelet volume. Moreover, nephrin and podocalyxin levels were significantly higher in subjects with microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria compared to PwD nephropathy subjects. Increasing nephrin levels (AUC = 0.774, p = 0.001) and podocalyxin (AUC = 0.744, p = 0.001), and decreasing haemoglobin levels (AUC = 0.653, p = 0.016) were significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy among PLWD. At a cut-off ≥ 12.46, nephrin emerged as the best biomarker for detecting diabetic nephropathy with higher sensitivity and specificity.
conclusionsUrinary podocyte markers, particularly nephrin, together with haematological indices, could provide sensitive yet inexpensive biomarkers for potentially predicting and diagnosing early diabetic nephropathy. Further studies are needed to augment the findings of this study.
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