STOCKHOLM — People with difficult to diagnose kidney diseases linked to nephrotic syndrome show uniquely high levels of antinephrin autoantibodies, suggesting a novel biomarker and breakthrough development in diagnosing and managing the diseases.

"The discovery of antinephrin autoantibodies thoroughly changes our understanding of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, minimal change disease (MCD), and primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which classify as antinephrin-associated podocytopathies in many cases," co-author Nicola Martin Tomas, MD, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, told Medscape Medical News.

Antinephrin Autoantibodies: Biomarker for Kidney Disease? (medscape.com)