Prevalence of chronic kidney disease risk factors among low birth weight adolescents

Background

By adulthood, low birth weight infants have an increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The extent to which objective CKD risk factors are present at earlier ages is unclear.

Methods

We analyzed 5352 participants aged 12–15 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2012. Participants were classified as low birth weight (LBW; < 2500 g), very low birth weight (VLBW; < 1500 g), or normal (2500–4000 g) by parental/proxy recall. Albuminuria (albumin/creatinine 30 – <300 mg/g), decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; < 90 ml/min/1.73 m²; Counahan–Barratt), and elevated systolic blood pressure (BP; ≥ 95th percentile for age, height, and sex) were considered CKD risk factors.

Results

While albuminuria did not vary by birth weight, elevated blood pressure (BP) and decreased eGFR occurred more frequently in LBW/VLBW adolescents (elevated BP: LBW 6.0 %, VLBW 11.2 %, normal 2.4 %; decreased eGFR: LBW 23.2 %, VLBW 32.5 %, normal 16.1 %). After multivariable adjustment, LBW/VLBW adolescents had greater odds for both elevated BP (LBW: OR 2.90, 95 % CI 1.48–5.71; VLBW: 5.23; 1.11–24.74) and decreased eGFR (LBW: 1.49, 95 % CI 1.06–2.10; VLBW 2.49, 95 % CI 1.20–5.18).

Conclusions

In the U.S. population, both decreased eGFR and elevated systolic BP occur frequently among adolescents with history of LBW/VLBW.