Adults who are severely underweight are at increased risk of progressing to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), investigators reported at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2022 conference in Orlando, Florida.
Among 9,845,420 adults in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 26,406 (0.3%) were diagnosed with ESKD over a mean 9.2 years. Compared with those who had a normal body mass index (BMI), patients who were severely underweight (BMI less than 16.5 kg/m2) had a significant 53% increased risk for ESKD, Chang Seong Kim, MD, of Chonnam National University Medical School in Gwangju, Korea, reported on behalf of his team. The risk of ESKD steadily increased with every 1 kg/m2 decrement in BMI below 24-25 kg/m2.
The obese group (which the investigators defined as a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or higher) had a significant 33.9% decreased risk of ESKD.
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According to Dr Kim’s team, underweight status increases the risk for ESKD, and this association gradually becomes stronger as BMI decreases.
Reference Kim CS, Oh TR, Suh SH, et al. Underweight status and development of ESKD: A nationwide population-based study. Presented at: Kidney Week 2022; November 3-6, Orlando, Florida. Abstract: TH-PO813.
