Early Biomarkers of Fabry Nephropathy: A Review of the Literature.

Progressive nephropathy is one of the main features of Fabry disease. Although some clinical signs of Fabry nephropathy are already present in childhood, patients are often diagnosed relatively late in the course of the disease due to the absence of specific clinical markers, while a timely diagnosis and the prompt start of enzyme replacement therapy may be beneficial in stabilizing renal function or slowing its decline. Proteinuria/albuminuria has been accepted as the most important marker for Fabry nephropathy; however, a large proportion of renal impairment occurs in nonalbuminuric state. Therefore, early biomarkers may be useful for early identification of kidney involvement. The aim of this article is to review the current available literature on all biomarkers of Fabry nephropathy, with a comprehensive and critical description of their utilization in early recognition of renal damage.