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Ear length and kidney function decline after kidney donation
Pisut Katavetin1, Salin Watanatorn2, Natavudh Townamchai2
1Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. pkatavetin@gmail.com.
Nephrology (Carlton, Vic.)
|April 11, 2016
Summary
Ear length may predict kidney function after donation. Longer ears correlate with less decline in kidney function, supporting Traditional Chinese Medicine
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Integrative Medicine
- Biometrics
Background:
- Kidney function preservation post-donation relies on kidney reserve.
- Traditional Chinese Medicine links ear morphology to kidney health.
- Ear size is a potential, unexplored marker for kidney reserve.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if ear size (length and width) can predict kidney reserve in kidney donors.
- To explore the association between ear morphology and kidney function decline after donation.
Main Methods:
- Study included 50 kidney transplantation donors.
- Measured ear length and width.
- Calculated estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) decline using pre- and post-donation serum creatinine, age, and sex (CKD-EPI equation).
Main Results:
- A significant negative association was found between ear length and %GFR decline.
- Each 1 cm increase in ear length correlated with 5.7% less GFR decline (P=0.04).
- Ear width, age, sex, BMI, and pre-donation eGFR did not show significant associations with GFR decline.
Conclusions:
- Ear length may serve as a practical predictor of kidney function decline post-donation.
- Findings support Traditional Chinese Medicine's concept of ear morphology reflecting kidney health.
- Further research into ear morphology as a non-invasive marker for kidney reserve is warranted.
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