Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are at high risk for developing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Obesity is commonly associated with T2DM but it is not clear whether obesity contributes directly to the risk of developing CKD. Although obesity may lead to abnormalities of the filtering units of the kidney (glomeruli), the independent risk that obesity poses to the long-term overall kidney function is not well understood. In this study, we will gather clinical and laboratory information about diabetic control, body weight/obesity and kidney function from the medical files of adults who attended the Galway University Hospital Diabetes Day Centre over a 10 year period. We will then perform statistical analyses to find out whether there is a direct association between change in body weight/obesity over time, as reflected by serial measurements of body mass index (BMI), and the rate of change of kidney function over time, as reflected by serial measurments of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Based on preliminary results over a shorter period of follow-up, we hypothesise that level of obesity (BMI) at any given point in time does not have a strong association with the presence of CKD but that increasing obesity over time is associated with greater decline in kidney function. If proven correct, this hypothesis could allow for patients who are continuing to gain weight during outpatient follow-up to be recognised as being at risk for kidney failure and for the design of treatment approaches to intervene before this happens.
