What Does Weight Fluctuations Tell?
Weight fluctuations or body mass index variability are linked to higher risk of cardiovascular-related problems and early death in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Body mass index variability is associated with higher risks of developing heart conditions in the general population because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in individuals with CKD.
‘Poor outcomes in chronic kidney disease are predicted by weight fluctuations.’
A team led by Dong Ki Kim, MD, PhD, Sehoon Park, MD, and Kyungdo Han, PhD examined whether BMI variability may affect the prognosis of patients with kidney dysfunction.
The study included 84,636 patients with CKD who were listed in a national health screening database in South Korea. During a median follow-up of 4 years, 6% of individuals died, 4% needed kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis, 2% suffered a heart attack, and 3% suffered a stroke.
Participants with the highest body mass index variability had a 66% higher risk of dying, 20% higher risk of needing kidney replacement therapy, 19% higher risk of experiencing a heart attack, and 19% higher risk of experiencing a stroke, Compared to individuals with the lowest body mass index variability.
"This study showed that people who had kidney function impairment with recent fluctuating body mass index had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or death, regardless of their current body mass index," said Dr. Kim, of Seoul National University Hospital.
This result suggests that paying attention to fluctuating weight status may help appropriate screening and risk factor management to prevent cardiovascular disease or progression of their kidney dysfunction in CKD patients.
The results were similar in the subgroups divided according to positive/negative trends in BMI during the exposure assessment period. In addition, variabilities in certain metabolic syndrome components were also significantly associated with the prognosis of predialysis CKD patients.
Furthermore, those with a higher number of metabolic syndrome components with high variability had a worse prognosis.
Source: Medindia