gamma-Glutamyltransferase as a predictor of chronic kidney disease in nonhypertensive and nondiabetic Korean men.
BACKGROUND
Little research has been done to examine whether gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is prospectively associated with the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We performed a prospective study to examine the association between GGT and the risk for the development of CKD.


METHODS
The study cohort included a total of 10 337 healthy males with normal baseline kidney functions and no proteinuria. Participants were workers in a semiconductor manufacturing company and its 13 affiliates. CKD was defined as either the presence of proteinuria or a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of < 60 mL x min(-1) x (1.73(2))(-1). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios in separate models for CKD.


RESULTS
During a follow-up period of 25,774.4 person-years, 366 men developed CKD. After adjustments were made for age, baseline GFR, triglyceride, and HDL-C, the risk for CKD increased with an increasing quartile of serum GGT (p for trend <0.001). The top one fourth of serum GGT vs the bottom one fourth of relative risks for CKD was 1.90 (95% confidence interval, 1.37-2.63). These associations were also apparent in participants who consumed < or = 20 g/day of alcohol and those with normal weight, with values of alanine aminotransferase within reference intervals, or with C-reactive protein < 3.0 mg/L, and participants without metabolic syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings, which were obtained from a large work-site cohort and excluded individuals with diabetes and hypertension, indicated that serum GGT may be an early predictor for the development of CKD, independent of baseline confounding factors.
Ryu
Seungho
S
Department of Occupational Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. sh703.yoo@samsung.com
Chang
Yoosoo
Y
Kim
Dong-Il
DI
Kim
Won Sool
WS
Suh
Byung-Seong
BS
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase