Serum and urinary angiotensinogen levels as prognostic indicators in acute kidney injury: a prospective study

OBJECTIVE: The delayed increase in serum creatinine levels poses challenges in the timely diagnosis of acute kidney injury. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum angiotensinogen and urinary angiotensinogen levels and the prognosis of renal function in patients diagnosed with acute kidney injury. METHODS: A total of 79 newly diagnosed acute kidney injury patients aged 18 years and older were enrolled. Serum angiotensinogen and urinary angiotensinogen levels were measured at the onset of the disease, as well as on the 15th and 30th days of follow-up. After 3 months, renal function was evaluated by measuring serum creatinine levels. RESULTS: Among the acute kidney injury patients, those in Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes stage 3 exhibited significantly higher urinary angiotensinogen/urine creatinine levels compared with stages 1 and 2 patients at the time of diagnosis (p<0.05). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between the urinary angiotensinogen/urine creatinine level at the time of diagnosis and the serum creatinine level at the third month (r=0.408, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that urinary angiotensinogen levels can serve as an indicator of the severity of acute kidney injury. Monitoring urinary angiotensinogen levels could potentially contribute to the prognosis assessment and management of acute kidney injury patients.