CRP and diabetic kidney disease: Studies have shown that DKD is associated with proinflammatory cytokines, such as circulating levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR-1), and sTNFR-2 (Groop et al., 2009; Lopes-Virella et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2024).