Association of insulin resistance with chronic kidney disease in individuals without diabetes in a community population in South China

Background: To explore the relationship of insulin resistance (IR) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals without diabetes. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey among 2142 community-based participants without diabetes from southern China from June to October 2012 and excluded the incomplete data. We divided all the participants into four groups according to the quartiles of homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR). Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of IR with CKD in these subjects. Results: In the unadjusted model, compared with the quartile one group, IR was significantly associated with CKD (odds ratio [OR] = 2.24, P < 0.001; OR = 4.46, P < 0.001) in the quartile three and four groups, and the association was still significant (OR = 2.08, P = 0.005; OR = 3.89, P < 0.001 ) after adjusting for potential confounders (including age, current smoker, current alcohol use, physical inactivity, education level, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride, and body mass index). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) of HOMA-IR for diagnosing CKD was 0.67 (0.64, 0.71). The cut-off value was 2.5, the sensitivity was 75.2%, and the specificity was 56.4%. Conclusions: HOMA-IR is associated with CKD in participants without diabetes. Early intervention for IR is important for reducing the incidence of CKD.