LAS VEGAS – Seventeen percent of severely obese adolescents slated for bariatric surgery in the Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery study already had micro- or macroalbuminuria.
At a meeting sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation, Dr. Nianzhou Xiao said that future reports from the ongoing Teen-LABS study will provide the answer to a critical question: Is this worrisome loss of kidney function so early in life reversible via surgical weight loss?
Dr. Xiao presented a cross-sectional baseline report on 242 severely obese adolescents with a median body mass index of 50.5 kg/m2. Fourteen percent had microalbuminuria and another 3.1% had macroalbuminuria. Although the group’s mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 107.6 mL/min per 1.73 m2, 3% of the teens had an eGFR below 60 mL/min 1.73 m2, which is the definition of stage 3 chronic kidney disease.
In addition, 45% of the teens were hypertensive before surgery, 74% were dyslipidemic, and 13.6% had diabetes. The group’s median serum ferritin was 37 mcg/L, noted Dr. Xiao of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Multivariate analysis identified two independent risk factors for an elevated albumin to creatinine ratio: female gender, with an associated 2.34-fold increased risk, and elevated serum ferritin. For every 10 mcg/L of ferritin, the likelihood of an elevated albumin-to-creatinine ratio rose by 7%.
An estimated 4%-6% of U.S. children and adolescents are severely obese, defined as a body mass index of 35 kg/m2 or more or a body weight above the 120th percentile. The ongoing Teen-LABS study is the most comprehensive examination of kidney status in severely obese adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery.
Teen-LABS is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Dr. Xiao reported having no financial conflicts.