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Pediatric nephrology patients are overweight: 20 years' experience in a single Canadian tertiary pediatric nephrology

Guido Filler1, Sílvia Mansur Reimão, Anusha Kathiravelu

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jfeber@cheo.on.ca

International Urology and Nephrology
|September 28, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric nephrology patients show increasing obesity rates, elevating their risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Early intervention for this modifiable risk factor is recommended to prevent future kidney complications.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Obesity Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Obesity is a significant independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • Pediatric nephrology patients represent a vulnerable population with potential for increased CKD risk.
  • Longitudinal body composition data in this cohort are crucial for understanding evolving health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare body composition trends in pediatric nephrology patients versus the general child population over two decades.
  • To assess changes in body mass index (BMI) Z-scores in children with kidney conditions.
  • To identify the impact of obesity on the risk of developing CKD in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of body composition data from 3,422 pediatric nephrology patients (aged >2 years) referred between 1985 and 2006.
  • Calculation of body mass index (BMI) Z-scores using National (USA) Center for Health Statistics (2000) data.
  • Comparison of BMI Z-scores over three distinct time periods (1985-1991, 1992-1999, 2000-2006).

Main Results:

  • The mean BMI Z-score in pediatric nephrology patients significantly increased over the study period (from 0.29 to 0.87).
  • Patients consistently exhibited higher BMI Z-scores (+0.72 on average) compared to the general child population.
  • Specific kidney disease groups showed elevated BMI Z-scores, indicating a higher predisposition to obesity.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric nephrology patients demonstrate an increasing prevalence of obesity, exacerbating their risk for future CKD.
  • This heightened obesity risk, beyond their primary renal disease, necessitates proactive management.
  • Therapeutic interventions targeting obesity are recommended to mitigate long-term CKD risk in this population.
Abstract

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