Association between serum creatinine levels and pulmonary function of Korean adults: the 2016-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

[PURPOSE]: Research on the interaction between renal and lung functions has been conducted; however, studies on the general adult population are limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum creatinine levels and pulmonary function in Korean adults. [METHODS]: From the 2016–2019 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we recruited 11,380 participants who were 40 years or older for this study. Serum creatinine levels were divided into three groups: low, normal, and high. Pulmonary function was divided into three groups: normal, restrictive, and obstructive. The odds ratios for abnormal pulmonary function patterns were calculated using weighted multinomial logistic regression analysis. [RESULTS]: The odds ratios were 0.97 for low vs. normal (0.40–2.33) and 2.00 for high vs. normal (1.18–3.38) for the restrictive pattern, and 0.12 for low vs. normal (0.02–0.49) and 1.74 for high vs. normal (0.90–3.35) for the obstructive pattern after being adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, total energy, and total proteins. [CONCLUSION]: High serum creatinine levels were associated with an increased odds ratio for restrictive and obstructive pulmonary function patterns. The odds ratio of the restrictive pattern was higher than that of the obstructive pattern. Screening for abnormal pulmonary function in individuals with high serum creatinine levels may be useful to ensure that there is no abnormal pulmonary function before the onset of potential pulmonary problems. Thus, this study highlights the relationship between renal and pulmonary function using serum creatine levels, which can be easily tested in the primary medical environment of the general population.