Department of Nephrology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
Eur Radiol. 2013 Oct;23(10):2899-905. doi: 10.1007/s00330-013-2900-4. Epub 2013 May 28.
In this population-based study, reference values were generated for renal length, and the heritability and factors associated with kidney length were assessed.
Anthropometric parameters and renal ultrasound measurements were assessed in randomly selected nuclear families of European ancestry (Switzerland). The adjusted narrow sense heritability of kidney size parameters was estimated by maximum likelihood assuming multivariate normality after power transformation. Gender-specific reference centiles were generated for renal length according to body height in the subset of non-diabetic non-obese participants with normal renal function.
We included 374 men and 419 women (mean ± SD, age 47 ± 18 and 48 ± 17 years, BMI 26.2 ± 4 and 24.5 ± 5 kg/m(2), respectively) from 205 families. Renal length was 11.4 ± 0.8 cm in men and 10.7 ± 0.8 cm in women; there was no difference between right and left renal length. Body height, weight and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were positively associated with renal length, kidney function negatively, age quadratically, whereas gender and hypertension were not. The adjusted heritability estimates of renal length and volume were 47.3 ± 8.5 % and 45.5 ± 8.8 %, respectively (P < 0.001).
The significant heritability of renal length and volume highlights the familial aggregation of this trait, independently of age and body size. Population-based references for renal length provide a useful guide for clinicians.
• Renal length and volume are heritable traits, independent of age and size. • Based on a European population, gender-specific reference values/percentiles are provided for renal length. • Renal length correlates positively with body length and weight. • There was no difference between right and left renal lengths in this study. • This negates general teaching that the left kidney is larger and longer.
本研究基于人群，旨在制定肾脏长度的参考值，并评估肾脏长度的遗传性及其相关因素。
在瑞士的欧洲裔随机核家庭中评估人体测量参数和肾脏超声测量值。对经功率转换后的多元正态分布进行最大似然估计，得出肾脏大小参数的调整后的狭义遗传率。在肾功能正常、非肥胖、非糖尿病的参与者亚组中，根据身高生成肾长的性别特异性参考百分位数。
我们纳入了 205 个家庭中的 374 名男性和 419 名女性（平均年龄分别为 47 ± 18 和 48 ± 17 岁，BMI 分别为 26.2 ± 4 和 24.5 ± 5 kg/m²）。男性和女性的肾长分别为 11.4 ± 0.8 cm 和 10.7 ± 0.8 cm；左右肾长无差异。身高、体重和估算肾小球滤过率（eGFR）与肾长呈正相关，肾功能呈负相关，年龄呈二次相关，而性别和高血压则无相关性。肾长和肾体积的调整遗传率估计值分别为 47.3 ± 8.5 %和 45.5 ± 8.8 %（P < 0.001）。
肾长和肾体积具有显著的遗传性，这突出了该特征的家族聚集性，且与年龄和体型无关。基于欧洲人群的肾长参考值为临床医生提供了有用的指导。
肾长和肾体积是遗传特征，与年龄和体型无关。
基于欧洲人群，提供了肾长的性别特异性参考值/百分位数。
肾长与身体长度和体重呈正相关。
本研究中左右肾长无差异。
这否定了左肾更大更长的普遍说法。
