The individual course of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may vary, and improved methods for identifying which patients will experience estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) loss are needed. Recently, urinary dickkopf-3 (DKK3) has been identified as a stress-induced, renal tubular epithelia-derived, secreted glycoprotein that induces tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Urinary DKK3 has been found to predict eGFR loss in patients with CKD, independent of presence of albuminuria. The investigators sought to examine the association between DKK3 and loss of eGFR in patients with heart failure (HF). Also, the investigators hypothesized that changes in DKK3 under treatment may be helpful to monitor individual kidney disease course.
The individual course of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may vary, and improved methods for identifying which patients will experience estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) loss are needed. Recently, urinary dickkopf-3 (DKK3) has been proposed to predict eGFR loss in patients with CKD, independent of presence of albuminuria. The investigators sought to examine the association between DKK3 and loss of eGFR in patients with heart failure (HF). The investigators hypothesized that changes in DKK3 under treatment may be helpful to monitor individual kidney disease course.