The visceral adiposity index as a predictor of chronic kidney disease; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amin Dalili; Mahsa Rezaee; Fatemeh Hasanzadeh Sablouei; Sina Salati; Hossein Amini; Ehsan Habibi; Babak Gholamine; Mahdi Behi; Asghar Dalili

doi:10.34172/jnp.2025.27643

J Nephropathol. 2025;14(4): e27643.
doi: 10.34172/jnp.2025.27643

Abstract View: 4

PDF Download: 2

Meta-analysis

The visceral adiposity index as a predictor of chronic kidney disease; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Amin Dalili ¹ , Mahsa Rezaee ² , Fatemeh Hasanzadeh Sablouei ³ , Sina Salati ⁴ , Hossein Amini ⁵ , Ehsan Habibi ⁶ , Babak Gholamine ⁷ , Mahdi Behi ⁷ , Asghar Dalili ⁸^*

¹ Department of General Surgery, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship, Surgical Oncology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
² Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
³ Department of Operating Room, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
⁴ Department of Emergency Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery School, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
⁵ Research Center for Cancer Screening and Epidemiology, Aja University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁶ Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁷ Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
⁸ Department of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, 22 Bahman Educational Research and Treatment Center, Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran

*Corresponding Author: Asghar Dalili, Email: Dalilia1@nums.ac.ir

Abstract

Introduction: Visceral fat accumulation and insulin resistance play significant roles in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the association between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and CKD using a systematic review and meta-analysis method.

Materials and Methods: The sources were searched in the Web of Science, Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases, as well as the Google Scholar search engine. Data were analyzed using STATA 14 at a significance level of P < 0.05.

Results: The results obtained from a combination of 21 observational studies revealed that CKD risk increased with high VAI values in total subjects (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.16), men (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.22), and women (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.32), as well as in cross-sectional (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.17) and cohort (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.29) studies. In addition, high VAI values elevated CKD risk in Taiwan (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.08), Turkey (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.10), China (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.60), Cameroon (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.22), and the USA (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.07).

Conclusion: The risk of CKD rose with high VAI values in all participants (12%), with a higher rate in women (22%) than in men (14%). Moreover, the highest and least risks were reported in Taiwanese and USA patients.

Registration: This study has been compiled based on the PRISMA checklist, and its protocol was registered on the PROSPERO (ID: CRD420251037963) and Research Registry (UIN: reviewregistry1984) websites.

Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, Chronic renal disease, Renal insufficiency, Visceral adiposity index

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:

This research demonstrates the importance of visceral adiposity index (VAI) as a predictor of CKD, which can be useful in chronic kidney disease diagnosis, as the risk of chronic kidney disease rose in all subjects due to high VAI values. Moreover, Taiwanese women and patients were the two groups most exposed to the risk. These results need to be confirmed through further studies in this field.

Please cite this paper as: Dalili A, Rezaee M, Hasanzadeh Sablouei F, Salati S, Amini H, Habibi E, Gholamine B, Behi M, Dalili A. The visceral adiposity index as a predictor of chronic kidney disease; a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nephropathol. 2025;14(4):e27643. DOI: 10.34172/jnp.2025.27643.