Waist circumference as a predictor of adiponectin levels in peritoneal dialysis patients: a 12-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES

This prospective study, conducted at the dialysis unit of the Nephrology Division, Federal University of Sao Paulo-Oswaldo Ramos Foundation, Brazil, aimed to evaluate whether waist circumference (WC) can predict adiponectin levels in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD).

METHODS

Among 115 patients on PD at a single dialysis center who were evaluated at 6 and 12 months, 57% were men, 31% had diabetes, mean age was 52.8 ± 16.1 years, body mass index was 25 ± 4.3 kg/m(2), and dialysis vintage was 13 months (range: 5 - 33 months). We measured WC at the umbilicus level. Adiponectin was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

At baseline, WC was inversely associated with adiponectin (r = -0.48, p < 0.01). After adjustment for sex, age, diabetes, peritoneal clearance, and residual renal function, WC was an independent determinant of serum adiponectin (β = -0.52; 95% confidence interval: -0.73 to -0.31; p < 0.001). In the prospective analysis, after adjustment for confounders, changes in WC predicted changes in adiponectin. For each unit increase in WC, adiponectin declined by 0.39 mg/L (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that WC is associated with adiponectin and, more importantly, that this simple marker of central adiposity was able to predict changes in adiponectin levels over time.