The next generation: Urinary epidermal growth factor is associated with an early decline in kidney function in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Aims: Micro-albuminuria is considered an early clinical sign of diabetes nephropathy, however, early decrease of glomerular filtration can be present years before the presence of microalbuminuria. In this study, we explored whether urinary epidermal growth factor (uEGF) might serve as an early marker of diabetes nephropathy compared to microalbuminuria in children and adolescents. Methods: Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (n = 158) and healthy controls (n = 40) were included in this study. Serum and urine samples were collected three times with an interval of at least one month to determine creatinine (serum and urine), epidermal growth factor and albumin (urine). Demographic data and routine lab values were extracted out of the electronic patient files. Results: uEGF was significantly lower in children with T1DM compared to healthy controls (p = 0.032). A relatively lower glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was associated with a decreased uEGF (p < 0.001). uEGF was independently associated with eGFR in a multivariate analysis. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that uEGF can serve as an early marker of diabetes nephropathy in children and adolescents. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).