Association between cardiometabolic index and kidney stones in US diabetic patients: NHANES 2007-2018

The cardiometabolic index (CMI), encompassing obesity and lipid metrics, is potentially linked to kidney stone prevalence in diabetic patients. However, studies on this association are sparse. This research evaluates CMI's impact on kidney stone occurrence in this group.

Utilizing data from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we explored the relationship between CMI and kidney stones in diabetic patients through multivariate logistic regression, generalized additive models, and smoothed curve fitting. Robustness checks included subgroup analyses and propensity score matching (PSM).

This study comprised 2714 participants in total, where the prevalence of kidney stones was found to be 16.82%. Using weighted multivariate logistic regression and fully adjusted models, it was revealed that elevated CMI levels are positively associated with an increased likelihood of developing kidney stones (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.30). Smooth curve fitting demonstrated that there was no non-linear relationship between CMI and kidney stones (log-likelihood ratio test P = 0.236). Subgroup analyses and interactions indicated that the association between CMI and kidney stone prevalence was notably stronger in individuals who were living with a partner /married and had a poverty income ratio (PIR) of 1.5 to less than 3.5 (P for interaction < 0.05). propensity score matching (PSM) further verified the robustness of our results.

Elevated CMI correlates with greater kidney stone prevalence in diabetic individuals, particularly those married or living with a partner and within certain economic statuses. This study supports the hypothesis linking CMI and kidney stones in U.S. diabetic population, suggesting a target demographic for preventive strategies.