Relationship between Decreased Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Sarcopenic Obesity among Postmenopausal Women: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011)

Background: Previous studies have shown that body composition is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and perimenopause is associated with increased fat mass and decreased lean body mass. Muscle wasting is common among patients with CKD. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) refers to excess adiposity with decreased muscle mass. However, little is known about the relationship between SO and renal function decline. Here, we identified the relationship between SO and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in postmenopausal women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011). We analyzed 4,560 postmenopausal women who underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia was defined based on weight-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass. Obesity was defined based on body mass index. The eGFR was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Subjects were classified into four groups: normal, obese, sarcopenic, and sarcopenic obese. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between SO and decreased eGFR. The results were adjusted for variable confounders. Results: In the unadjusted model, the odds ratio (OR) of decreased eGFR for SO was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-2.26). The obese and sarcopenic groups had ORs of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.44-1.03) and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.44-1.10), respectively. After controlling for confounding variables, there was also a significant association between SO and decreased eGFR (adjusted OR, 1.48; 95% Cl, 1.05-2.07). Conclusion: SO was independently associated with decreased eGFR in postmenopausal Korean women.