Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity-Related Indices Are Associated with Rapid Renal Function Decline in a Large Taiwanese Population Follow-Up Study

A rapid decline in renal function can cause many complications, and therefore it is important to detect associated risk factors. Few studies have evaluated the associations among obesity-related indices and metabolic syndrome (MetS) with renal function decline. This longitudinal study aimed to explore these relationships in a large cohort of Taiwanese participants. The studied obesity-related indices were waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), A body shape index (ABSI), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body roundness index (BRI), conicity index (CI), body mass index (BMI), body adiposity index (BAI) and abdominal volume index (AVI). We included 122,068 participants in the baseline study, of whom 27,033 were followed for a median of four years. The baseline prevalence of MetS was 17.7%. Multivariable analysis showed that the participants with MetS and high VAI, WHtR, WHR, LAP, CI, BRI, BMI, BAI, AVI, and ABSI values were significantly associated with a high baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (all p < 0.001). In addition, the participants with MetS (p < 0.001), high WHtR (p = 0.007), low LAP (p < 0.001), high BRI (p = 0.002), high CI (p = 0.002), high AVI (p = 0.001), high VAI (p = 0.017), and high ABSI (p = 0.013) were significantly associated with a low △eGFR, indicating a rapid decline in renal function. These results showed associations between MetS and high values of obesity-related indices except LAP with high baseline eGFR and rapid decline in kidney function. These findings suggest that screening for MetS and obesity may help to slow the decline in renal function in high-risk populations.