Sat Aug 24, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- HIV infection can increase risk of early kidney injury in women, according to a recent study published in the Aug 23, 2013 issue of Antiviral Therapy.

Jotwani V, Scherzer R, Abraham A, Estrella MM, Bennett M, Devarajan P, Anastos K, Cohen MH, M. Nowicki  from Department of Medicine, San Francisco VA Medical Center in San Francisco, CA, USA and colleagues conducted the study and found novel tubulointerstitial injury markers, interleukin-18 (IL-18) and kidney injury marker-1were higher in women infected with HIV, compared with those without HIV infection.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and kidney injury marker-1 are novel tubulointerstitial injury markers, which are associated with kidney function decline and all-cause mortality.

For the study, researchers compared urine concentrations of IL-18, KIM-1 and ACR in 908 HIV infected women and 289 controls who were not infected with HIV who enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Urine samples were collected during patients' visitation to clinics between 1999 and 2000.

HIV infected patients were 38% higher in urine concentration of IL-18, 12% higher in KIM-1 and 47% higher in ACR, compared with controls who were not infected with HIV.

The researchers concluded "HIV-infected women had more extensive tubulointerstitial and glomerular injury than uninfected women, but the associated factors differed among the urine biomarkers. Combinations of urinary biomarkers should be investigated to further characterize early kidney injury in HIV-infected women." (jimmy downs)