Gain in adiposity over 3 years is associated with progressive renal decline in multi-ethnic South-east Asians with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract

This study evaluated the association between gain in adiposity and renal decline in a large prospective multiethnic South-east Asian cohort with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Three years after the baseline visit, 2057 T2DM subjects were recalled for reassessment. The final cohort comprised 1014 subjects and was categorized into tertiles based on changes in body weight (ΔWt), body mass index (ΔBMI), visceral fat area (ΔVFA), and BMI-adjusted VFA (ΔVFABMI ). Outcomes included annual and rapid (≥3 mL/min per 1.73 m2 per year) decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and progression of albuminuria. Participants (mean [±SD] age 57 ± 11 years, 48.8% women, BMI 27.7 ± 5.4 kg/m2 ) exhibited a median annual decline in eGFR of 1.0 mL/min per 1.73 m2 . Compared with the lower tertiles, Tertile 3 of ΔWt, ΔBMI, ΔVFA, and ΔVFABMI had the highest anthropometric increase, albeit of modest magnitude, and this was accompanied by the worst renal outcomes (all P < 0.05). The relationship between annual eGFR decline and Tertile 3 of ΔWt, ΔBMI, and ΔVFABMI persisted after multivariate adjustment in men but not in women. In addition, Tertile 3 of ΔWt, ΔBMI, ΔVFA, and ΔVFABMI predicted rapid eGFR decline. Anthropometric gains were also associated with progression of albuminuria. Modest longitudinal gain in adiposity was associated with progressive renal decline in T2DM patients, suggesting that increased adiposity over time adversely affects renal outcomes. Therefore, a carefully designed weight-neutral or -loss antidiabetic treatment regimen is important when managing T2DM in the clinic.