The eGFR Decline as a Risk Factor for Metabolic Syndrome in the Korean General Population: A Longitudinal Study of Individuals with Normal or Mildly Reduced Kidney Function.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a risk factor for the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it is unclear whether decreased renal function affects MS. Through a longitudinal study, we investigated the effect of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) changes on MS in participants with an eGFR above 60 mL/min/1.73 m. A cross-sectional ( = 7107) and a 14-year longitudinal study ( = 3869) were conducted to evaluate the association between MS and eGFR changes from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study data. The participants were categorized by their eGFR levels (60-75, 75-90, and 90-105 versus ≥ 105 mL/min/1.73 m). In a cross-sectional analysis, the MS prevalence was significantly increased with a decline in the eGFR in a fully adjusted model. The odds ratio of individuals with an eGFR of 60-75 mL/min/1.73 m was observed to be the highest (2.894; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.984-4.223). In the longitudinal analysis, incident MS significantly increased with an eGFR decline in all the models, with the highest hazard ratio in the lowest eGFR group (1.803; 95% CI, 1.286-2.526). In joint interaction analysis, all covariates showed a significant joint effect with an eGFR decline on the incident MS. MS incidents are associated with eGFR changes in the general population without CKD.