Serum High Molecular Weight Adiponectin is Associated with Mild Renal Dysfunction in Japanese Adults

AIMS: Renal dysfunction is a major public health problem, but there have been few investigations of the relationship between serum high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin and renal function in Japanese community-dwelling adults. METHODS: We randomly recruited a sample of 1,849 adult Japanese (793 men aged 60 ± 14 (mean ± standard deviation; range, 20-89) years and 1,056 women aged 62 ± 12 (range, 21-88) years) during their annual health examination in a single community. Participants with an eGFR of ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m² were divided into four groups based on quartiles of serum HMW adiponectin levels, and it was investigated whether serum HMW adiponectin is independently associated with eGFR. RESULTS: Mean eGFR was significantly higher in the highest quartile than the lowest quartile of serum HMW adiponectin levels. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis using eGFR as an objective variable, adjusted for confounding factors as explanatory variables, showed that serum HMW adiponectin (β=0.068) as well as age (β=-0.361), prevalence of antihypertensive medication (β=-0.115), triglycerides (β=-0.063), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β=-0.094), and fasting plasma glucose (β=0.148) were independently associated with eGFR. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for mild renal dysfunction of an eGFR < 70 mL/min/1.73 m² was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.42-0.91) for the highest quartile compared with participants with the lowest serum adiponectin quartile. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a higher serum HMW adiponectin level is associated with a reduced odds ratio of mild renal dysfunction in Japanese adults.