Insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐2 as a biomarker for lupus nephritis

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is a serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to identify serum insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐2 (IGFBP‐2) as a novel non‐invasive biomarker for clinical disease and renal pathology in pediatric LN. Methods A cross‐sectional study on 93 newly diagnosed LN children who were biopsy‐proven, 35 SLE children with no renal involvement as disease controls, and 30 healthy controls (HC) with age and gender‐matched. All children were ELISA tested for serum IGFBP‐2 levels. Clinical, laboratory, histopathological features of LN patients were collected. Results Compared to SLE or HC, serum IGFBP‐2 levels were significantly elevated in LN patients. Serum IGFBP‐2 could distinguish LN patients from two others (AUC = 0.937, p