Hemostasis and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease in children and adolescents

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can be defined as the progressive loss of renal function, characterized by a decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The etiology of CKD in childhood is mainly associated with congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) and with glomerular diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate the hemostasis and oxidative stress in pediatric CKD of different etiologies. Fifty-four CKD children and adolescents and 52 controls were enrolled in this study. The evaluation of hemostasis was carried out by determination of D-dimer (D-Di) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) plasma levels, while oxidative stress was evaluated by thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) levels, protein carbonyl content, plasma antioxidant capacity (MTT), and ascorbate. The D-Di was increased in CAKUT stage 3 or 4 patients compared with those with glomerular disease. PAI-1 was increased in patients with glomerular disease compared with CAKUT. Carbonyl protein content was higher in the control group compared with glomerular disease stage 3 or 4 patients. Our findings showed that the reduction in GFR is associated with a state of hypercoagulability. The analysis of integrated networks showed an expansion of connections among hemostatic and oxidative stress markers in CKD children and adolescents compared with controls.