The association between serum activin A levels and albuminuria among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 20032
• Main Authors: Chang, Shih-Chen, Hsu, Chien-Yi, Liu, Li-Kuo, Lu, Ya-Wen, Tsai, Yi-Lin, Chou, Ruey-Hsing, Huang, Po-Hsun, Chen, Liang-Kung, Lin, Shing-Jong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08.10.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 692/53; 692/699/1585; 692/699/75/593/2100; Activin; Activins - blood; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Albuminuria - blood; Albuminuria - diagnosis; Albuminuria - epidemiology; Biomarkers - blood; Blood pressure; Creatinine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cytokines; Diabetes mellitus; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Incidence; Independent Living - statistics & numerical data; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle age; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Older people; Risk factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Taiwan - epidemiology; Transforming growth factor-b; Taiwan
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99081-7

Activin A, a cytokine belonging to the transforming growth factor-β family, has been shown to play pivotal roles in tissue remodeling after renal injury and is present in elevated levels in diabetic patients. However, the association between activin A and albuminuria remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate their association by using cross-sectional data from community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan. We assessed 466 participants (67% male; mean age 71 ± 13 years) from the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging study for whom data pertaining to serum activin A level and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were available. Of these, 323 (69%) had normal albuminuria, 123 (26%) had microalbuminuria, and 20 (4%) had overt albuminuria. Patients with overt albuminuria and microalbuminuria had significantly higher activin A concentrations than those in the normal albuminuria group (p < 0.001). Circulating activin A was significantly correlated with multiple risk factors, including higher systolic blood pressure and higher UACR. Univariate and multivariate results indicated that activin A level was an independent variable for albuminuria. The cutoff value of 602 pg/mL of activin A demonstrated a sensitivity of 70.6% and specificity of 75.7% (AUC 0.774) in diagnosing overt albuminuria. In conclusion, middle-aged and older adults with elevated activin A levels were associated with a higher incidence of albuminuria.