Flow cytometry further identified significantly higher circulating levels of natural killer (NK) T cells (1.5‐fold, p = 0.015) and CD8+ T cells (1.5‐fold, p = 0.018), and a significantly higher lymphocyte ratio (2.4‐fold, p = 0.009), in the HC group than in the DKD group. Here, CD8A is linked to diabetic kidney disease.