Association of sleep-disordered breathing with diabetes-associated kidney disease

Diabetes-associated kidney disease is characterized by impairment of renal function and albuminuria. The aim of the present study was to assess whether sleep-disordered breathing is associated with decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate or increased urine-albumin-to-creatinine-ratio independently from known modulators of diabetes-associated kidney disease.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine-albumin-to-creatinine-ratio were determined in the baseline survey of the DIACORE-SDB substudy, a prospectively planned study of Diabetes mellitus 2 patients. As a measure of the severity of sleep-disordered breathing, the apnea-hypopnea-index was assessed using a 2-channel ambulatory SDB-monitoring device.

A total of 679 patients (mean age 66 years, men 61%, mean body-mass-index 31.2 kg/m²) were analyzed. In multivariable linear regression models adjusting for known modulators of diabetes-associated kidney disease, such as sex, age, body-mass-index, systolic blood pressure, duration of diabetes and HbA1c, apnea-hypopnea-index [beta-estimate -0.2 ml/min/1.73 m², 95% CI (-0.3; -0.1), p = .004], duration of diabetes and age were associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. Apnea-hypopnea-index [beta-estimate 0.01 mg/g, 95% CI (0.00; 0.02), p = .009], duration of diabetes, HbA1c and systolic blood pressure were associated with ln(urine-albumin-to-creatinine-ratio).

In patients with diabetes mellitus type 2, more severe sleep-disordered breathing is significantly associated with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and increased albuminuria, independent of known modulators of diabetes-associated kidney disease.