Perirenal fat (PRF) thickness in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with metabolic risk factors that could affect kidney function, investigators concluded in a paper published in Kidney Research and Clinical Practice.
In a study of 103 patients (mean age 55 years) with various stages of CKD, Luis D’Marco, MD, of Consorci Sanitari del Garraf, Servicio de Nefrología, Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues found that PRF thickness as measured using renal ultrasonography was significantly greater in patients with impaired fasting glucose than in those with normal glucose levels (mean 1.10 vs 0.85 cm). Patients with CKD stages 4 and 5 (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2) had the highest PRF thickness.
Serum triglyceride levels were positively correlated with PRF thickness. PRF thickness was significantly greater in patients with triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dL or higher (mean 1.09 vs 0.86 cm) than in those with lower levels. Among patients with GFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, uric acid levels correlated positively with PRF thickness. Dr D’Marco and his colleagues found no significant differences in PRF thickness according to total cholesterol or low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
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The investigators explained that adipose tissue accumulation in specific body compartments has been associated with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Previous studies have linked PRF with direct lipotoxic renal effects, such as accelerating progression to kidney disease and increasing glomerular hydrostatic pressure.
Reference
D’Marco L, Salazar J, Cortez M, et al. Perirenal fat thickness is associated with metabolic risk factors in patients with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Res Clin Pract. 2019; doi.org/10.23876/j.krcp.18.0155
