Impact of Remnant Cholesterol on the Risk for End-Stage Renal Disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Abstract

Background: Remnant cholesterol (remnant-C) has been linked to the risk of various vascular diseases, but the association between remnant-C and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear.

Methods: Using a nationwide cohort, a total of 2,537,149 patients with T2DM without ESRD, who had participated in the national health screening in 2009, were enrolled and followed up until 2020. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were assessed by the Martin-Hopkins method, and remnant-C was calculated as total cholesterol-LDL-C-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Results: During a median follow-up period of 10.3 years, 26,246 patients with T2DM (1.03%) developed ESRD. Participants in the upper quartile of remnant-C had a higher risk of ESRD, with hazard ratios of 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 1.17), 1.20 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.24), and 1.33 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.41) in the second, third, and fourth quartile, compared with the lowest quartile, in multivariable-adjusted analyses. The positive association between remnant-C and ESRD remained consistent, irrespective of age, sex, presence of pre-existing comorbidities, and use of anti-dyslipidemic medications. The increased risk of ESRD was more pronounced in high-risk subgroups, including those with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and a longer duration of diabetes.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that remnant-C profiles in T2DM have a predictive role for future progression of ESRD, independent of traditional risk factors for renal dysfunction.