Association of Visceral Adiposity with Nephropathy in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Data from Chinese and US Cohorts.

PURPOSE

This study examined the relationship between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in patients with diabetes mellitus in two cohorts from China and the United States.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

After screening, 1,949 Chinese participants and 7,158 US participants were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models examined the relationship between VAI and DN. Concurrently, the restricted cubic spline (RCS) model was utilized to investigate the potential nonlinear relationship between VAI and DN. Additionally, segmented logistic regression analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

In both cohorts, each unit increase in VAI was associated with a higher prevalence of DN, with a 4% increase (OR=1.04, P<0.001) observed in the Chinese cohort compared to a 3% rise (OR=1.03, P<0.001) in the US cohort. The RCS analysis revealed a nonlinear relationship between VAI and DN, with an inflection point identified at 5. The results of the subgroup analyses demonstrated that the positive correlation between VAI and DN was observed across diverse subgroups. However, the interaction between some subgroups indicated the presence of potential heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

A significant positive association was observed between visceral adiposity and DN. Further research is required to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which visceral adiposity and DN are associated and to validate these findings in more diverse populations.