The following is a summary of “Asymmetric dimethylarginine serum concentration in normal weight and obese CKD patients treated with hemodialysis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Nephrology by Alipoor et al.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a cardiovascular risk factor, increases in renal failure.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating ADMA levels in normal-weight and obese patients on hemodialysis.

They examined 43 normal-weight and 43 obese patients on regular hemodialysis. Malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS), anthropometry, circulating ADMA, lipid profiles including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and lipid ratios, glucose homeostasis parameters, blood pressure, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were assessed.

The results showed serum levels of ADMA were significantly lower in the obese compared to the patients with normal weight (10268.2 ± 10092.4 vs. 13765.2 ± 9951.3 ng/l, P=0.03). At the same time, MIS score (6.1 ± 2.4 vs. 10.7 ± 3.2, P<0.001), systolic blood pressure (119 ± 26.8 vs. 134.2 ± 24.7 mmHg, P=0.018), and mean arterial pressure (91.3 ± 18.6 vs. 100.9 ± 15.9 mmHg, P=0.028) were significantly lower in the obese than the normal weight group. Fasting blood glucose (P=0.045), TG/HDL (P=0.03), TC/HDL (P=0.019), and LDL/HDL (P=0.005) ratios, and hs-CRP (P=0.015) levels were significantly higher in the obese than in the normal weight group.

They concluded that circulating ADMA was significantly lower in obese patients than in patients with normal weight on hemodialysis. It was concurrent with lower MIS, indicating a better nutritional inflammatory status and lower blood pressure.

Source: bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12882-024-03736-2