Reference values and sex differences in absolute and relative kidney size. A Swiss autopsy study

Men have larger kidneys than women, but it is unclear whether gender remains an independent predictor of kidney size (expressed as weight or length) after correction for body size. We analysed autopsy data to assess whether relative renal length and weight (e.g. corrected for body weight, height or body surface area (BSA)) are also larger in men. Assuming that kidney size is associated with nephron number, opposite findings could partly explain why women are less prone to the development and progression of chronic kidney disease than men.

All forensic autopsies performed between 2009 and 2015 at the local university hospital of Geneva in individuals of European descent aged ≥18 years without a known history of diabetes and/or kidney disease were examined. Individuals with putrefied or severely injured bodies were excluded. Relative renal weight and length were respectively defined as renal weight divided by body weight or BSA and renal length divided by body height or BSA.

A total of 635 autopsies (68.7% men) were included in the analysis. Left kidneys were on average 8 g heavier and 2 mm longer than right kidneys (both: p < 0.05). Absolute renal weight (165 ± 40 vs 122 ± 29 g) and length (12.0 ± 1.3 vs 11.4 ± 1.1 cm) were higher in men. Relative renal weight was also higher in men, but relative renal length was larger in women. In multivariable regression analysis, body height, body weight, the degree of blood congestion or depletion at autopsy and age were determinants of renal weight, whereas arterial hypertension and smoking were not. Percentile curves of renal weight and length according to sex and body height were constructed.

Absolute and relative renal weights were both smaller in women. This is in line with recent studies stating that nephron numbers are also lower in women. Relative renal length was longer in women, suggesting that female kidneys have a more elongated shape. In comparison with older autopsy studies, renal weight appears to be stable over time.