CHI3L1 and Nephropathy: Moreover, we did not find higher levels of YKL-40 in nephropathy patients at the stage of positive microalbuminuria, and although we did not find differences according to the presence or absence of retinopathy, probably due to the low number of subjects included in our cohort, all the data taken together suggest that more prospective studies are probably needed in order to clarify if relevant changes in the magnitude of YKL concentration are detected over time and in relation to the appearance of microvascular disease.