Visceral fat level is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients

Obesity is an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular diseases not only in the general population, but also in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We previously reported that an increased visceral fat area (VFA) determined using computed tomography (CT) scans was associated with atherosclerosis in HD patients. However, whether a high VFA is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in HD patients remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between VFA and prognosis in HD patients.

VFA was estimated in 126 patients on maintenance HD using CT scans. These patients were followed for 60 months.

Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the cardiovascular survival rate was significantly lower in the high-VFA group, with a VFA of 71.5 cm(2) or greater, than in the low-VFA group, with a VFA of less than 71.5cm(2). In univariate Cox proportional hazards analyses, age, albumin, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, cardio-thoracic ratio and VFA above 71.5 cm(2) were significantly correlated with cardiovascular deaths. In multivariate analyses testing these factors as dependent variables, VFA above 71.5 cm(2) was estimated to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular deaths.

These results suggest that an increased VFA is a stronger risk factor for cardiovascular deaths in HD patients. Measuring VFA may be recommended for predicting the risk of cardiovascular diseases in HD patients.