Inverse association between body mass index and chronic kidney disease in older diabetic adults.

PURPOSE: To identify associations among body mass index (BMI), diabetes, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in older adults in Taiwan.

METHODS

This study enrolled 3334 participants aged 65 years and above who underwent an annual health screening at a medical center from January 2006 to December 2010. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations among BMI, diabetes, and CKD.

RESULTS

The prevalence rate of CKD was 19.7% and 10.5% in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects, respectively. A multivariate model indicated that age, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hyperuricemia were associated with an increased risk of CKD. Furthermore, there was an inverse association between BMI and CKD in older diabetic patients, with odds ratios of 3.71, 2.32, 2.12, and 1.31 in underweight, normal, overweight, and obese subjects, respectively, compared with nondiabetic subjects of normal weight.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an inverse association between BMI and CKD in older diabetic patients but no such association was found in nondiabetic older adults. More attention should be given to older underweight diabetic patients because they have a higher risk of CKD.