Childhood Obesity and Impact on the Kidney

Obesity is known to be associated with a myriad of cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. In children, several longitudinal studies have shown that obesity consequences start early in life and accompany the obese child into adulthood, implying a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events. More recently, data related to the possible role of obesity in the risk of kidney disease in adults, independently of diabetes, has started to become more available. In children, the evidence is scarcer, but it has also been acknowledged that obesity acts as a risk factor for disease progression when kidney impairment already exists, thereby increasing the risk of death among children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Besides this, there is also evidence that otherwise healthy overweight and obese children have a significant increase in the risk of all-cause ESRD later in life. The potential mechanisms underlying this association need to be further discussed in order to allow the setting in motion of preventive strategies to halt chronic kidney disease development and progression.