Background: Microalbuminuria was much more common among obese individuals indicating a probable association with obesity. However, association of microalbuminuria with interaction between obesity and central obesity has not yet been studied.
Design and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a 2889 general population aged ≥ 30 years. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 28.0 kg/m2 and central obesity was defined as waist-to-hip ratio ≥ 0.85 for females and ≥ 0.90 for males. Both additive and multipliable interactions between obesity and central obesity on elevated urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were evaluated.
Results: After controlling for potential covariates, participants with both obesity and central obesity have significantly increased risk for elevated UACR (OR = 1.82 P<0.001) compared to those with neither. Additive interaction analysis indicated that about 43.9% of the risk of elevated UACR in participants with both obesity and central obesity was attributed to the interaction between obesity and central obesity (the attributable proportion because of the interaction: 0.439; 95% CI: 0.110-0.768). The multipliable interactive effect between obesity and central obesity on elevated UACR was not found significant (OR = 1.82, P = 0.078).
Conclusions: Microalbuminuria was significantly associated with the interaction between obesity and central obesity. Our results indicated that individuals with both obesity and central obesity should be intensively managed to prevent renal diseases.