ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Analysis of the predictive value of serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels for acute kidney injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Diandian Cui
Mengzhu Li
Hua Wu
Air Force Hospital of Eastern Theater Command, Nanjing, China
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Abstract
Objective: This study aims to investigate the predictive value of serum cystatin C (Cys-C) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in predicting acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 220 ARDS patients admitted between January 2023 and January 2025, including 78 patients with ARDS and AKI (AKI group) and 142 patients with ARDS without AKI (Non-AKI group). Clinical baseline data were collected from the patients, and serum levels of Cys-C and IL-6 were measured using an ELISA kit. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the association between serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels and renal function indicators (serum creatinine [SCr], estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], and blood urea nitrogen [BUN]) in ARDS patients with AKI. Based on the median values of serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels, ARDS patients were divided into high- and low-expression groups for Cys-C and IL-6, respectively, and the incidence of AKI in ARDS patients was compared. Results: Patients in the AKI group and the non-AKI group showed significant differences in APACHE II score, serum creatinine (SCr), eGFR, uric acid (UA), and BUN levels (all P < 0.05). Serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group (both P < 0.001). Serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels in ARDS patients with AKI were significantly positively correlated with SCr and BUN, but significantly negatively correlated with eGFR. Compared with the low Cys-C/IL-6 expression group, the incidence of AKI in ARDS patients with high Cys-C/IL-6 expression was significantly increased. Logistic multivariate regression analysis revealed that APACHE II, Cys-C, and IL-6 were independent risk factors for AKI in ARDS patients; eGFR was an independent protective factor for AKI in ARDS patients.SCr was also retained in the final model as an associated factor, though it is a diagnostic criterion for AKI. Conclusion: Serum Cys-C and IL-6 are significantly overexpressed in ARDS patients with AKI, and serum Cys-C and IL-6 levels can assist in the diagnosis of ARDS patients with AKI.
Summary
Keywords
Acute Kidney Injury, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Auxiliarydiagnostic value, Cys-C, IL-6
Received
04 December 2025
Accepted
19 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Cui, Li and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Hua Wu
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