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The relationship between body mass index and renal length in obese children

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Abstract

Background

Obesity in the pediatric population is a severe public health problem and is associated with various comorbidities. Renal length is an important clinical parameter for the diagnosis and follow-up of renal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between renal length (measured ultrasonographically) and body mass index (BMI) in obese children, and to develop nomograms for renal length according to BMI.

Methods

Renal ultrasound was performed in 368 children without renal disease. Each child’s age, gender, weight, height, and BMI (kg/m2) were recorded. The children were divided into three groups according to BMI percentiles: obese group: BMI ≥ 95th percentile; overweight group: BMI 85th–94th percentile; normal weight group: BMI 5th–84th percentile.

Results

Weight, height, BMI, and right and left renal length differed significantly between the three groups (p = 0.001). There were significant correlations between renal length with age, weight, height, and BMI. Measurement of renal length was independently associated with BMI, age, and height. BMI was used to create renal length nomograms for obese children, based on multiple regression analysis (R2 = 0.32 and p = 0.0001). Mean renal length was highest in the obese group (96.9 ± 13.4 mm) and lowest in the normal weight group (88.3 ± 12.9 mm).

Conclusions

Ultrasonographic measurement of the renal length according to BMI in children can be a useful method in evaluating these children. Smaller-than-normal kidneys can easily remain undiagnosed in obese and overweight children and this nomogram offers an additional method to evaluate the renal size in obese children.

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Acknowledgements

Nurcan Dinler Cengiz has been working at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Nephrology Department, since April 2016.

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Correspondence to Gönül Parmaksız.

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The study protocol was approved by the Başkent University Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Parmaksız, G., Kekeç, Ş.D., Cengiz, N.D. et al. The relationship between body mass index and renal length in obese children. Pediatr Nephrol 35, 901–905 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04464-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04464-8

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