Association between dyslipidemia and chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population

Background Dyslipidemia, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is common in patients with kidney disease. Recent studies discerned that dyslipidemias play a critical role in renal damage progression in renal diseases, but the association between dyslipidemias and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population remains unknown. Thus, we assessed whether the growing prevalence of dyslipidemia could increase the risk of CKD. Methods A total of 4779 middle-aged and elderly participants participated in this study. Dyslipidemias were defined by the 2007 Guidelines in Chinese Adults. Incident CKD was defined as albuminuria and/or reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, <60 ml•min -1 •1.73 m -2 ). Regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between dyslipidemia and albuminuria/reduced eGFR. Results Participants with hypercholesterolemia exhibited a greater prevalence of albuminuria and reduced eGFR (10.0% vs. 6.1%, P =0.001; 4.0% vs. 2.4%, P =0.028, respectively). Both hypercholesterolemia and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were independently associated with albuminuria (odds ratio (OR) 1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-2.07 and OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.13-2.09, respectively). The multivariable adjusted OR of reduced eGFR in participants with hypercholesterolemia was 1.65 (95% CI 1.03-2.65). As the number of dyslipidemia components increased, so did the OR of CKD: 0.87 (95% CI 0.65-1.15), 1.29 (95% CI, 0.83-2.01), and 7.87 (95% CI, 3.75-16.50) for albuminuria, and 0.38 (95% CI 0.21-0.69), 1.92 (95% CI 1.14-3.25), and 5.85 (95% CI 2.36-14.51) for reduced eGFR, respectively. Conclusions Our findings indicate that dyslipidemias increase the risk of CKD in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. Hypercholesterolemia plays an important role in reducing total eGFR. Both low HDL-C and hypercholesterolemia are associated with an increased risk for albuminuria.