Association of Obesity with Serum Cystatin C in Korean Adults

Kang, Yang Ho

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Serum cystatin C has been reported as a marker of preclinical kidney disease and might be associated with cardiovascular risk factors. However, there are few data on the association between obesity and serum cystatin C, especially in the Asian population. The aim of this study is to evaluate this association using body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference in Korean adults.
METHODS
We analyzed the anthropometric and biochemical data of 1,528 subjects (928 men and 600 women) who visited the health promotion center for a routine medical checkup. Subjects were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese according to BMI and waist circumference.
RESULTS
According to BMI, mean serum cystatin C was significantly increased from normal weight to obesity in men (normal weight, 0.91 mg/L; overweight, 0.92 mg/L; obese, 0.94 mg/L, P<0.05) and women (normal weight, 0.81 mg/L; overweight, 0.83 mg/L; obese, 0.90 mg/L, P<0.001). Regarding waist circumference, mean serum cystatin C was also significantly increased in both genders. The prevalence of increased serum cystatin C (> or =1.0 mg/L) was significantly increased and the relative risks of increased serum cystatin C for the prevalence of obesity were significantly increased in men (OR, 1.42; P=0.013) and women (OR, 1.74; P=0.026).
CONCLUSION
According to increases in BMI and waist circumference, level of serum cystatin C was significantly increased in Korean adults. These findings suggest that obesity is associated with serum cystatin C in the Asian population.