Effect of Long-term Peritoneal Dialysis on Change in Visceral Fat Area: A Single-Center Experience

Visceral fat area (VFA) is known to increase after initiation of peritoneal dialysis (PD). However, the factors contributing to the increase in VFA in long-term PD patients have not been sufficiently elucidated. The present study investigated factors that affect VFA in patients who continue PD for ≥3 years.

Twenty patients (63.1 ± 10.3 years, 9 men, 11 diabetic patients) between January 2008 and January 2015 were included. VFA, subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and waist circumference at initiation and follow-up were measured at the level of the umbilicus by computed tomography using an image analysis system. Change in VFA was defined as the value obtained by dividing VFA at the final follow-up by that at the initiation. The correlations between clinical parameters at initiation and changes in VFA were analyzed.

There was no significant change in body weight (57.6 ± 10.4 vs 58.3 ± 7.8 kg, P = 0.296) during the mean final follow-up period of 55 ± 13 months, although VFA increased significantly (103.6 ± 39.2 vs 122.6 ± 38.3 cm², P = 0.030). Although subcutaneous fat area (SFA) did not change (124.7 ± 52.3 vs 124.5 ± 49.2 cm², P = 0.989), waist circumference increased significantly (79.4 ± 8.4 vs 83.7 ± 6.9 cm, P = 0.010). SFA (r = -0.735, P < 0.001), waist circumference (r = - 0.644, P = 0.002), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (r = 0.487, P = 0.029), and age (r = 0.507, P = 0.023) correlated significantly with changes in VFA.

VFA might increase with long-term PD in patients with end-stage kidney disease who have high HDL-C, small SFA, and small waist circumference at initiation.