Highlights
- •NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of CKD development.
- •The association was progressive with increased severity of liver disease.
- •NAFLD may play a pathophysiologic role in CKD development.
- •NAFLD patients need to be carefully monitored for the development of CKD.
Background & Aims
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with chronic kidney
disease (CKD), but cohort studies are limited. We investigated the longitudinal association
of NAFLD and its severity with the development of CKD.
Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study of 41,430 adult men and women (average age,
48.9 y) without CKD at baseline who underwent repeated health check-up examinations from
January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2013. NAFLD status was assessed by ultrasonography,
and NAFLD severity was assessed by the NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS).
Results
The outcome was an incident CKD, defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate
less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. During 200,790 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up of 4.15 years), we identified 691 incident CKD cases. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio
for CKD comparing participants with and without NAFLD was 1.22 (95% confidence interval
[CI] 1.04–1.43). The risk of CKD increased progressively with increased NAFLD severity.
The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for CKD comparing participants with NFS <−1.455
and those with NFS ≥−1.455 to participants without NAFLD were 1.09 (95% CI 0.91–1.32)
and 1.58 (95% CI 1.30–1.92), respectively. The association was consistent across clinically
relevant subgroups.
Conclusion
In a large cohort of adult men and women without CKD, NAFLD was associated with an
increased risk of CKD development. NAFLD may adversely affect renal function and patients
may need to be carefully monitored for an increased risk of CKD.
Lay summary
The presence of fatty liver is associated with the future decline of renal function.
Thus, fatty liver patients need to be monitored regularly for renal function.
Graphical abstract
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 01, 2017
Accepted:
August 16,
2017
Received in revised form:
July 31,
2017
Received:
February 22,
2017
See Editorial, pages 1137–1139Identification
Copyright
© 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
