Abstract:
Objective To investigate the correlation between vibration perception threshold (VPT) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as well as its key indicators (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)), with the aim of identifying an early and non-invasive assessment indicator for chronic renal complications in T2DM patients.
Methods This study included data from 1,825 patients with confirmed T2DM who visited Huizhou Central People's Hospital (one of the standardized management centers for metabolic diseases in China) between January 2023 and October 2023. Patients were divided into four groups according to the quartiles of VPT levels. Demographic characteristics and clinical biochemical indicators were collected. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between different VPT levels and the occurrence of CKD, eGFR ≤60 mL/(min•1.73 m2), and UACR≥30 mg/g.
Results In the overall diabetes population, the prevalence of CKD and proteinuria was 36.5% and 33.5%, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed no correlation between VPT and eGFR ≤60 mL/(min•1.73 m2) (P = 0.054). However, after dividing VPT into four quartile groups, multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that, with increasing VPT levels, eGFR gradually decreased and UACR gradually increased. After adjustment for confounders, including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, smoking history, alcohol consumption history, glycated hemoglobin, fasting insulin, uric acid (UA), alanine transaminase (ALT), and histories of hypertension, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, stroke, and diabetic peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the prevalence of eGFR ≤60 mL/(min•1.73 m2) (OR = 1.28, P < 0.0001) and UACR ≥30 mg/g (OR = 1.35, P < 0.0001) was significantly increased with rising VPT levels.
Conclusion Among Chinese patients with T2DM, VPT is positively correlated with the occurrence of CKD and proteinuria, suggesting that VPT may serve as a potential non-invasive indicator for assessing the risk of diabetic renal complications and is worthy of wider application in clinical screening.