Obesity-Related Kidney Disease: Current Understanding and Future Perspectives

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 2498
• Main Authors: Kreiner, Frederik F, Schytz, Philip Andreas, Heerspink, Hiddo J L, von Scholten, Bernt Johan, Idorn, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-09-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Body fat; Body mass index; Body weight; Body weight loss; Cardiovascular diseases; Chronic illnesses; chronic kidney disease; Chronic kidney failure; Development and progression; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; fatty kidney disease; Glucagon; Glucagon-like peptide 1; Glucose transporter; Health aspects; Homeopathy; Hypertension; Hypoglycemic agents; Kidney diseases; Kidney transplants; Materia medica and therapeutics; Medical prognosis; Mineralocorticoid receptors; Obesity; obesity-related kidney disease; Overweight; Pathophysiology; Renal replacement therapy; Review; Risk factors; Therapeutics; Type 2 diabetes; Weight control; United States > US; obesity-related kidney disease; chronic kidney disease; fatty kidney disease; overweight; obesity
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092498

Obesity is a serious chronic disease and an independent risk factor for the new onset and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD prevalence is expected to increase, at least partly due to the continuous rise in the prevalence of obesity. The concept of obesity-related kidney disease (OKD) has been introduced to describe the still incompletely understood interplay between obesity, CKD, and other cardiometabolic conditions, including risk factors for OKD and cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes and hypertension. Current therapeutics target obesity and CKD individually. Non-pharmacological interventions play a major part, but the efficacy and clinical applicability of lifestyle changes and metabolic surgery remain debatable, because the strategies do not benefit everyone, and it remains questionable whether lifestyle changes can be sustained in the long term. Pharmacological interventions, such as sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone, provide kidney protection but have limited or no impact on body weight. Medicines based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) induce clinically relevant weight loss and may also offer kidney benefits. An urgent medical need remains for investigations to better understand the intertwined pathophysiologies in OKD, paving the way for the best possible therapeutic strategies in this increasingly prevalent disease complex.