Abstract:Objective To investigate the early diagnostic value of soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) combined with kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) for acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS).Methods A total of 177 PNS patients admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to October 2022 were selected and divided into the AKI group (102 cases) and the non-AKI group (75 cases) according to whether AKI occurred. The clinical data and levels of sTM and KIM-1 were compared between the AKI group and the non-AKI group. The levels of sTM and KIM-1 in patients with different AKI stages were also compared. The risk factors for AKI in PNS patients were determined, and the diagnostic performance of sTM and KIM-1 alone and their combination for AKI caused by PNS was analyzed.Results There was no difference in the sex composition, age, BMI, underlying diseases, medication history, and the hemoglobin level between the two groups (P > 0.05). The levels of 24-hour urine protein, uric acid, cystatin C, serum creatinine (Scr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the AKI group were higher than those in the non-AKI group (P < 0.05), while urine volume, the level of albumin, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the AKI group were lower than those in the non-AKI group (P < 0.05). The levels of sTM and KIM-1 in the AKI group were higher than those in the non-AKI group. Specifically, the levels of sTM and KIM-1 in patients with stages Ⅲ and Ⅱ AKI were higher than those in patients with stage Ⅰ AKI (P < 0.05), while they were even higher in patients with stage III AKI than those in patients with stage II AKI (P < 0.05). Multivariable stepwise Logistic regression analysis revealed that high levels of cystatin C [O^R = 2.965 (95% CI: 1.220, 7.207) ], eGFR [O^R = 3.340 (95% CI: 1.374, 8.118) ], sTM [O^R = 3.089 (95% CI: 1.271, 7.508) ], and KIM-1 [O^R = 3.016 (95% CI: 1.241, 7.330) ] were all risk factors for AKI in PNS patients (P < 0.05). The sensitivities of sTM, KIM-1 and their combination in the diagnosis of AKI caused by PNS were 76.47% (95% CI: 66.84%, 84.06%), 73.53% (95% CI: 63.71%, 81.55%), and 71.57% (95% CI: 61.64%, 79.84%), with the specificities being 70.67% (95% CI: 58.86%, 80.33%), 74.66% (95% CI: 63.08%, 83.69%), and 96.00% (95% CI: 87.97%, 98.96%), and AUCs being 0.754 (95% CI: 0.684, 0.816), 0.783 (95% CI: 0.717, 0.839), and 0.891 (95% CI: 0.841, 0.935).Conclusion The combination of sTM and KIM-1 has a high value in the early diagnosis of AKI caused by PNS.