The Relationship between Perirenal Fat Thickness and Reduced Glomerular Filtration Rate in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Obesity has been considered as an important factor in the development and progression of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). Perirenal fat, which is surrounding the kidneys, has been reported to be unique in anatomy and biological functions. This study is aimed at assessing the relationship between perirenal fat thickness (PrFT) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: A total of 171 patients with T2DM were recruited in the study. The basic and clinical characteristics including sex, age, diabetes duration, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), visceral fat area (VFA), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum uric acid (UA), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) were collected. PrFT was measured via ultrasound. eGFR was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. RESULTS: Patients were divided into three groups according to PrFT, and we found patients with higher PrFT had lower eGFR. PrFT was significantly correlated with eGFR in all patients (r = −0.181, P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis by sex showed that PrFT still significantly and negatively related to eGFR in men (r = −0.264, P < 0.05), but not in women (r = −0.199, P = 0.062). The association also existed in multivariate analysis after correction for the confounding factors (β = −0.203, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed a negative independent relationship between PrFT and eGFR in patients with T2DM, especially in men, suggesting a possible role of perirenal fat in kidney dysfunction in T2DM patients.