Is decreased lung function associated with chronic kidney disease? A retrospective cohort study in Korea

There is some evidence that lung function and chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be related. We evaluated the impact of lung function on the development of CKD in a large-scale longitudinal study.

Retrospective longitudinal analyses were conducted among subjects who participated in comprehensive health check-ups at least four times during 7 years (between 2006 and 2012). We investigated the development of CKD during the follow-up period according to lung function status.

Ten thousand one hundred and twenty-eight individuals (mean age =51.2 years) without CKD at baseline were enrolled. During the mean follow-up of 5 years (58.5±14.4 months), 167 of the 10 128 subjects (1.6%) developed CKD. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, estimated glomerular filtration rate, uric acid, triglycerides, serum albumin, and the presence of diabetes and hypertension revealed that a decrease of 10% in the forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV₁)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio was associated with a 35% increase in the development of CKD during the follow-up. The incidence of CKD was higher in those with an FEV₁/FVC ratio <0.8 compared with those with FEV₁/FVC ratio ≥0.8 (HR=1.454; 95% CI 1.042 to 2.028, p=0.028).

Limited airflow as measured by the FEV₁/FVC ratio was associated with an increased risk of CKD.