Association of childhood health with adulthood chronic kidney disease: results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

TL;DR

Poor childhood health is linked to a higher risk of chronic kidney disease in adulthood, according to a study of over 12,000 Chinese adults.

Contribution

This study provides new evidence that childhood health status is a significant predictor of chronic kidney disease in adulthood.

Findings

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 11.7% among participants.

Individuals with poor childhood health had a 38% higher risk of CKD compared to those with excellent childhood health.

The association remained significant after adjusting for multiple lifestyle and health factors.

Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences have been well-documented as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adulthood. However, the link between childhood health and adulthood CKD risk is still unclear. This study aimed to explore the connection between childhood health and the likelihood of developing CKD in adulthood.

Participants were drawn from the third wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The CKD was identified based on the estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) and self-reported doctor-diagnosed kidney disease. Childhood health status was assessed through a standard questionnaire and categorized into excellent, fair, and poor groups.

The prevalence of CKD was 11.7% (1,480 out of 12,609). The eGFR levels in the self-reported Fair and Poor groups were significantly lower than those in the Excellent group (p < 0.05). Compared to the Excellent group, individuals in the Poor group reported a higher risk of CKD (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.12–1.70; p = 0.002), even after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, highest education level, use of Chinese traditional medicine, diabetes, hypertension, BMI, marital status, and annual household income (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.01–1.54; p = 0.047).

The CKD prevalence is notably high in the Chinese adults aged more than 45 years, and a history of poor health in childhood may significantly contribute to the risk of CKD in later life.

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