Potential link between high FIB-4 score and chronic kidney disease in metabolically healthy men

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Hepatology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) share known associations.
• The predictive value of the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score for incident CKD remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the FIB-4 score predicts the development of CKD.
• To analyze the association between FIB-4 score and CKD incidence over a 5-year period.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study with 5-year follow-up data from Japanese health check-ups.
• Exclusion of participants with existing CKD, alcohol consumption, and analysis of 5353 male participants.
• Propensity score matching and multiple linear regression analysis to assess risk factors.

Main Results:

• A high FIB-4 score (≥1.30) was not an independent risk factor for overall incident CKD.
• However, a high FIB-4 score significantly predicted CKD in non-obese, non-hypertensive, or non-smoking participants.
• High FIB-4 score strongly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline in these subgroups.

Conclusions:

• The FIB-4 score may be a significant predictor of CKD incidence in metabolically healthy individuals.
• This highlights a potential link between liver fibrosis markers and kidney health in specific populations.
• Further research may elucidate the mechanisms underlying this association.