Obesity and Kidney Disease: Hidden Consequences of the Epidemic

Abstract

Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, and its prevalence has been projected to grow by 40% in the next decade. This increasing prevalence has implications for the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and also for chronic kidney disease. A high body mass index is one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset chronic kidney disease. In individuals affected by obesity, a compensatory hyperfiltration occurs to meet the heightened metabolic demands of the increased body weight. The increase in intraglomerular pressure can damage the kidneys and raise the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in the long-term. The incidence of obesity-related glomerulopathy has increased 10-fold in recent years. Obesity has also been shown to be a risk factor for nephrolithiasis, and for a number of malignancies including kidney cancer. This year, the World Kidney Day promotes education on the harmful consequences of obesity and its association with kidney disease, advocating healthy lifestyle and health policy measures that make preventive behaviors an affordable option.

Frequency of television viewing and association with overweight and obesity among women of the reproductive age group in Myanmar: results from a nationwide cross-sectional survey

“…Overweight and obesity is an important risk factor for the development of several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes mellitus,8 hypertension,9 cardiovascular diseases,10 cancer11 and chronic kidney diseases 12. In addition, overweight and obese women experience complications during pregnancy (gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia) more frequently than women of normal body weight 13 14…”

Path Analysis on Determinants of Childhood Obesity and Associated Risk Factors of Cardiovascular, Renal, and Hepatic Diseases: The CASPIAN-V Study

“…Therefore, obesity acts as one of the most influential risk factors for chronic kidney diseases. 9 Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with obesity. However, NAFLD is almost always asymptomatic; elevated levels of liver transaminase could be detected in children.…”

“…It increases the risk of cardiometabolic disorders, as well as liver and kidney dysfunctions. 8,9 The path analysis of a previous phase of this study indicated that body mass index (BMI) is the strongest determinant for cardiovascular risk factors; moreover, other variables such as unhealthy diet and low physical activity impressed their indirect effects through BMI. Many studies have evaluated the association between predisposing factors including lifestyle habits, exposure to environmental chemicals, socioeconomic status, and chronic diseases.…”

Social determinants of self-reported pre-exposure prophylaxis use among a national sample of US men who have sex with men

“…It is possible that these insecurities are exacerbated on geosocial-networking applications where profiles contain pictures as well as height and weight measurements as factors determining initial contact. Alternatively, obese MSM may have other health issues, such as chronic kidney disease, that prevent them from being started on PrEP 27 28. More research is needed to understand the association between obesity and decreased PrEP uptake.…”