Is cystatin C a more accurate filtration marker than creatinine?
Some studies show that serum levels of cystatin C estimate GFR better than serum creatinine alone.12 Recent studies have clearly demonstrated that cystatin C is a better predictor of adverse events in the elderly, including mortality, heart failure, bone loss, peripheral arterial disease and cognitive impairment, than either serum creatinine or estimated GFR.13, 14 These findings may be because cystatin C is a better filtration marker than creatinine, particularly in the elderly. An alternative explanation is that factors other than GFR that affect serum levels of creatinine and cystatin C differentially confound the relationships between these measures and outcomes.
