Body weight is associated with diabetes and, in turn, diabetes causes renal failure. However, previous research has suggested a direct link between obesity and renal disease in some cases. To further explore this issue, researchers studied 320,252 men and women with serum creatinine levels of 10 mg/dL or lower who participated in health checkups at a large managed care organization in northern California.
In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and race, baseline body-mass index
was significantly associated with the rate of end-stage renal disease
(ESRD; transplant or maintenance dialysis). The rate of ESRD was 10
per 100,000 person-years among normal-weight subjects and 20 per
100,000 person-years among overweight subjects (BMI, 25.0–29.9 kg/m2);
the rate among obese subjects ranged from 46 (BMI, 30–34.9) to 108
(BMI,
40). After further
adjustment for education, smoking status, myocardial infarction,
cholesterol level, proteinuria, hematuria, serum creatinine, blood
pressure, and diabetes, risk for ESRD was significantly higher for
those who were overweight (relative risk, 1.72) or obese (RR,
2.98–4.99) than for normal-weight subjects.
End-stage renal disease appears to be among the consequences of being overweight or obese, even in people without diabetes or hypertension. ESRD prevention is another reason to address obesity.
Reference:
Hsu C-Y et al. Body mass index and risk for end-stage renal disease. Ann Intern Med 2006 Jan 3; 144:21-8.