Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem, particularly in older age and in those with diabetes mellitus (DM), with high comorbidity and treatment costs.
Study design: Prospective observational cohort study.
Setting & participants: 17,979 participants, 22% women with a mean age of 50.0 (SD 8.8), in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) seen initially between 1971 to 2009 who also received Medicare coverage from 1999 to 2009.
Predictors: Age, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels, current tobacco use, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Outcomes: Incident CKD and DM were determined from Medicare administrative claims data.
Results: During 116,973person-years of observation, 2022 cases of incident CKD occurred. Multivariable-adjusted proportional hazards models revealed a 24% lower risk of CKD among moderate fit (hazards ratio[HR] 0.76, 95% CI 0.67-0.85 compared to low fit) and a 34% lower risk of CKD among high fit (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58-0.76 compared to low fit). Even following the development of DM, fitness was associated with lower risk of CKD (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99) per 1-MET increment.
Limitations: Relatively homogeneous population of well-educated Caucasians.
Conclusion: Results of the present study suggest that higher fitness is associated with lower risk of CKD decades later even in at-risk populations such as diabetics. The findings support a role for enhancing fitness through regular physical activity in preventive strategies for CKD including those who may develop DM in later life.
Keywords: Diabetes; Exercise; Renal.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.