Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease in population with prediabetes or diabetes.

PURPOSE: The relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in population with diabetes remains controversial. Our current study aimed to explore the association between NAFLD and CKD in population with prediabetes or diabetes.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Zhuhai city from June to October 2012. A total of 190 out of 334 participants with prediabetes or diabetes were enrolled in this study. CKD was defined as estimated GFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) and/or albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g. NAFLD was diagnosed on the basis of ultrasonographic and excluded fatty liver disease caused by other reasons such as drinking. The association between NAFLD and CKD was then analyzed using SPSS (version 19.0).

RESULTS: Subjects with NAFLD were more likely with a higher urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (P < 0.001). CKD were common among patients with NAFLD than those without NAFLD (P < 0.05). NAFLD was significantly associated with CKD (P < 0.05) in the unadjusted analyses as well as after adjustment for potential confounders. The unadjusted odd ratio and adjusted odd ratio for CKD were 2.25 (95 % CI 1.07-4.77, P = 0.034) and 2.68 (95 % CI 1.12-6.01, P = 0.016). When further adjusted for hypertension, serum high-density lipoprotein and serum fasting glucose, the association of NAFLD with CKD was still significant (OR 2.78, 95 % CI 1.03-7.52, P = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS: Our current study suggests that ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD is associated with CKD among population with prediabetes or diabetes.