No Relationship between Serum and Salivary β2-Microglobulin Levels in A Sample of Adult Diabetic Men with Chronic Kidney Disease without Renal Replacement Therapy
Objective: Β2-microglobulin (β2M) associated amyloidosis is an inevitable complication
of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Testing β2M in the blood is invasive and expensive. On
the other hand, oral fluid is a perfect medium to be explored for public health and disease
surveillance. However, it has never been studied if salivary concentration of β2M reflects
its concentration in the serum. The current study; therefore, aimed to examine the relationship
between salivary and serum β2M in a sample of adult diabetic men with CKD.
Materials and Methods: Among diabetic patients referred to the Nephrology Department
of The Golestan Hospital of Ahvaz due to CKD, 40 men not requiring renal replacement
therapy were consecutively recruited for this cross-sectional study. Patients were excluded
if they had any disease or were using any drugs that might affect the oral mucosa or
saliva. The concentration of β2M was measured in both serum and saliva. The correlation
between serum and salivary β2M was measured by calculating spearman’s ρ.
Results: The Spearman’s ρ for correlation between serum and salivary β2M was -0.017
(p=0.917), indicating lack of correlation. Serum and salivary creatinine (Spearman’s
ρ=0.54; p value<0.001) as well as serum and salivary urea nitrogen levels (Spearman’s
ρ=0.39; p value=0.014) were correlated.
Conclusion: Salivary β2M levels poorly agreed with serum β2M levels, and thus may not be
used as a surrogate for serum β2M in CKD patients who did not require replacement therap