title: Body mass index and enrollment on the renal transplant waiting list in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies of body mass index (BMI) and enrollment on the renal transplant waiting list have not analyzed a national population of chronic dialysis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  161,265 patients in the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) initiated on end-stage renal disease (ESRD) therapy between 1 April 1995 and 30 June 1997 who had data sufficient to calculate BMI were analyzed in an historical cohort study. Cox Regression analysis was used to model the association of BMI and rates of listing for renal transplantation, censored for death and receipt of renal transplant, and adjusted for demographics, comorbidities in the Medical Evidence Form (2728) and in comparison with patient survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In univariate analysis, only patients with BMI <21.3 kg/m(2) had a statistically significant lower rate of listing compared to patients with BMI 24.5-28.6 kg/m(2) (6.1 vs. 7.5/100 person years). In Cox Regression analysis, patients with BMI <21.3 kg/m(2) had a 18% lower adjusted rate of listing and a 38% lower rate of survival, and patients with BMI >=24.5-28.7 had an 11% higher adjusted rate of listing and no significant difference in adjusted survival compared with patients with BMI>=28.7 kg/m(2). Caucasian females were disproportionately affected by high BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among ESRD patients, lower BMI was independently associated with reduced adjusted rates of listing. High BMI affected rates of listing disproportionately in caucasian females.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. kevin.abbott@na.amedd.army.mil
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Glanton
authors.forename: Lawrence Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Agodoa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D018579:Patient Selection; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014850:Waiting Lists