Association between Neck Circumference and Chronic Kidney Disease in Korean Adults in the 2019–2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem and a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and death. Early recognition and management of CKD risk factors are necessary to prevent its onset and progression. Neck circumference (NC) is a non-invasive and easily accessible anthropometric measure associated with central obesity and subcutaneous fat accumulation in the upper body. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between NC and the prevalence of CKD using data from the nationally representative Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019–2021). We analyzed data from 10,219 subjects (age > 19 years, no missing values). CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Logistic regression analysis was performed, which revealed a significant association between NC and CKD prevalence even after adjusting for confounding factors, both when NC was considered a continuous variable (OR [95% CI], 1.11 [1.03–1.19]) and in quartiles (Q1 as reference; Q2 OR [95% CI], 1.23 [0.91–1.67]; Q3 OR [95% CI], 1.59 [1.16–2.18]; Q4 OR [95% CI], 1.70 [1.16–2.50]). Our findings suggest that NC could be a simple and effective anthropometric measurement for identifying individuals at risk for CKD.