Circulating leptin levels predict the decline in renal function with age in a sample of adult men (The Olivetti Heart Study)

Leptin (LPT) is associated with a number of cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure (BP), insulin resistance and excess in body weight. Some studies find an unfavorable cross-sectional association between LPT and renal disease, in particular in patients with already known kidney dysfunction. There are few data on the relationship between LPT and changes in renal function over time in subjects without evidence of kidney dysfunction. Hence, the aim of this study is to estimate the predictive role of LPT on the decline in renal function occurring in an 8-year follow-up observation of a sample of adult apparently healthy men (The Olivetti Heart Study). The study includes 319 untreated normotensive and nondiabetic men without clinical evidence of renal dysfunction (creatinine clearance-CrCl > 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) at baseline. At baseline, LPT is significantly and positively associated with BMI, abdominal circumference, BP and Homa index, no relationship is found with CrCl. At the end of the 8-year follow-up, a significant association is detected between baseline LPT and changes occurring in BP. Moreover, an inverse correlation with changes in CrCl is found (r = − 0.12). This unfavorable relationship between baseline LPT and decline in renal function is also confirmed in the multivariate analyses, after adjustment for all potential confounders (R2 = 0.42, p < 0.01). The results of this prospective investigation suggest a predictive role of circulating LPT levels on decline in renal function over time, independently of main potential confounders, in normotensive and nondiabetic men with normal renal function at baseline.