Association of Liver Function Tests and Inflammatory Biomarkers with eGFR in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Hemodialysis in Erbil City
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2026.01Keywords:
Chronic Kidney Disease, Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Lipid ProfileAbstract
Background and Objective: Chronic Kidney Disease is a global public health concern, particularly in patients undergoing hemodialysis, who face elevated cardiovascular risks and progressive renal dysfunction. These patients often exhibit disrupted lipid metabolism, impaired glycemic control, and altered body composition. However, the sex-specific associations between these metabolic factors and kidney function remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between anthropometric measurements, glycemic markers, and lipid profile components. It estimated the Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) in male and female Chronic Kidney Disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis in Erbil City.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Erbil Teaching Hospital between November 2024 and April 2025. It included 70 adult patients with Chronic Kidney Disease undergoing regular hemodialysis and 70 healthy controls. Body mass index (BMI), glycemic markers (fasting blood sugar and HbA1c), lipid profiles (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and very-low-density lipoprotein), and eGFR (calculated using the 2021 CKD-EPI formula) were analyzed. Correlation analyses were performed separately for genders using GraphPad Prism.
Results: BMI showed a statistically significant but clinically weak negative relationship with eGFR in both men and women. Glycemic markers (blood sugar and HbA1c) were inversely correlated with eGFR in males, whereas in females they showed a positive correlation, possibly reflecting early hyperfiltration. TC was weakly positively associated with eGFR in males but not in females. HDL showed a strong positive correlation with eGFR in males only. LDL was marginally positively associated with eGFR in females, while TG and VLDL showed no significant correlation in either sex.
Conclusion: In individuals undergoing hemodialysis, metabolic indicators exhibited sex-specific correlations with eGFR levels. Glycemic parameters and HDL had a stronger correlation with eGFR than BMI and other lipid indices. These findings emphasize the significance of sex-specific assessment in the metabolic management of chronic renal disease patients.
References
Francis A, Harhay MN, Ong ACM, Tummala-palli SL, Ortiz A, Fogo AB, et al. Chronic kidney disease and the global public health agenda: an international consensus. Nature Reviews Nephrology.2024;20(7):473–85. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-024-00820- 6.
Yang L, Huang S, Sheng S, Liu X, Ma S, Zhu F. Association of obesity-related indices with rapid kidney function decline and chronic kidney disease, a study from a large longitu-dinal cohort in China. Obesity Facts. 2025;1– 27. https://doi.org/10.1159/000545356.
Veshohilova TP. [Effect of combined use of steroid preparations with pyroxene on the gonadotropic function of the hypophysis]. Akusherstvo i ginekologija (Sofiia). 1975 ; (10):10–2.
Suh SH, Kim SW. Dyslipidemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: An Updated Overview. Diabetes & Metabolism Journal. 2023 ;47(5):612–29. DOI: https:// doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2023.0067
Warren B, Rebholz CM, Sang Y, Lee AK, Coresh J, Selvin E, et al. Diabetes and Trajectories of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Prospective Cohort Analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Diabetes Care. 2018 ;41(8):1646–53. https:// doi.org/10.2337/dc18-0277
Kofod DH, Carlson N, Almdal TP, Bomholt T, Torp-Pedersen C, Nørgaard K, et al. The Association Between Hemoglobin A1c and Complications Among Individuals With Diabetes and Severe Chronic Kidney Disease. Diabetes Care. 2025 ;dc250339. https:// doi.org/10.2337/dc25-0339
de Boer IH, Caramori ML, Chan JCN, Heerspink HJL, Hurst C, Khunti K, et al. KDI-GO 2020 Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney International 2020 ;98(4):S1– 115. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2020.06.019
Limkunakul C, de Boer IH, Kestenbaum BR, Himmelfarb J, Ikizler TA, Robinson-Cohen C. The association of glycated hemoglobin with mortality and ESKD among persons with dia-betes and chronic kidney disease. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications. 2019 ;33 (4):296–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jdiacomp.2018.12.010.
Fischer H, Weiss RE, Friedman AN, Imam TH, Coleman KJ. The relationship between kidney function and body mass index before and after bariatric surgery in patients with chronic kidney disease. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. 2021 ;17(3):508–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.soard.2020.11.010.
Chen IJ, Hsu LT, Lu MC, Chen YJ, Tsou MT, Chen JY. Gender Differences in the Association Between Obesity Indices and Chronic Kidney Disease Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Taiwanese Population: A Community- Based Cross-Sectional Study. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2021 ;12:737586. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.737586.
Chen YK, Wu PH, Wu PY, Tsai YC, Chiu YW, Chang JM, et al. Sex differences in the association of long-term exposure to heat stress on kidney function in a large Taiwanese population study. Scientific Reports. 2024 ;14 (1):14599. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598- 024-65741-7
Kajiwara A, Kita A, Saruwatari J, Miyazaki H, Kawata Y, Morita K, et al. Sex Differences in the Renal Function Decline of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Diabetes Re-search. 2016;2016:1–8. https:// doi.org/10.1155/2016/4626382
Kattah AG, Garovic VD. Understanding sex differences in progression and prognosis of chronic kidney disease. Annals of Transla-tional Medicine 2020;8(14):897–897. doi: 10.21037/atm.2020.03.62
Shepard BD. Sex differences in diabetes and kidney disease: mechanisms and consequences. American Journal of Physiology- Renal Physiology 2021;317(2):F456–62. https://doi.org/10.1152/ ajprenal.00249.2019
Piani F, Melena I, Tommerdahl KL, Nokoff N, Nelson RG, Pavkov ME, et al. Sex-related differences in diabetic kidney disease: A review on the mechanisms and potential therapeutic implications. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications;35(4):107841. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2020.107841
Cherney DZI, Sochett EB, Miller JA. Gender differences in renal responses to hyperglycaemia and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition in diabetes. Kidney International. 2005 ;68(4):1722–8. https:// doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1755.2005.00588.x
Moriconi D, Sacchetta L, Chiriacò M, Nesti L, Forotti G, Natali A, et al. Glomerular Hyperfil-tration Predicts Kidney Function Decline and Mortality in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: A 21-Year Longitudinal Study. Diabetes Care. 2023 ;46(4):845–53. https:// doi.org/10.2337/dc22-2003
Osanami A, Tanaka M, Furuhashi M, Ohnishi H, Hanawa N, Yamashita T, et al. Increased LDL-cholesterol level is associated with dete-rioration of renal function in males. Clinical Kidney Journal. 2022 ;15(10):1888–95. https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfac111
Kao HY, Chang CC, Chang CF, Chen YC, Chee-wakriangkrai C, Tu YL. Associations between Sex and Risk Factors for Predicting Chronic Kidney Disease. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022 ;19(3):1219. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19031219
Ricardo AC, Yang W, Sha D, Appel LJ, Chen J, Krousel-Wood M, et al. Sex-Related Disparities in CKD Progression. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 2019 ;30(1):137– 46. DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2018030296
Suh SH, Oh TR, Choi HS, Kim CS, Bae EH, Oh KH, et al. Serum triglycerides level is independently associated with renal outcomes in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease: Results from the KNOW-CKD study. Frontiers in Nutrition 2022; Volume 9-2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.1037618
Tramontano D, D’Erasmo L, Larouche M, Brisson D, Lauzière A, Di Costanzo A, et al. The vicious circle of chronic kidney disease and hypertriglyceridemia: What is first, the hen or the egg? Atherosclerosis. 2025;403. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.atherosclerosis.2025.119146
Shemilt R, Sullivan MK, Hanlon P, Jani BD, De La Mata N, Rosales B, et al. Sex differences in cancer outcomes across the range of eGFR. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. 2024 ;39(11):1799–808. https:// doi.org/10.1093/ndt/gfae219
Wang Y, Cui J, Gao J, Liang S, Cai G, Chen X. Gender disparities in the association between atherogenic index of plasma and chronic kidney disease. BioMed Central Pub-lic Health. 2025 ;25(1):825. https:// doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22087-7
Belikoff HT, Walsan R, Hildreth CM, Phillips JK. Differential cardiovascular risk profiles by sex among adults with CKD: a NHANES-based analysis. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2025 ;12:1544590. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2025.1544590
He X, Zou R, Du X, Li K, Sha D. Association of remnant cholesterol with decreased kidney function or albuminuria: a population-based study in the U.S. Lipids in Health and Disease. 2024 ;23(1):2. https:// doi.org/10.1186/s12944-023-01995-w
Kataoka H, Sawara Y, Kawachi K, Manabe S, Mochizuki T, Nitta K. Impacts of Sex Differences in Pulse Pressure among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2019 ;9(4):52. https:// doi.org/10.3390/jpm9040052
Okada K, Yanai M, Takeuchi K, Matsuyama K, Nitta K, Hayashi K, et al. Sex Differences in the Prevalence, Progression, and Improvement of Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney & Blood Pressure Research. 2014;39(4):279– 88. https://doi.org/10.1159/000355805
Kintu C, Soremekun O, Kamiza AB, Kalungi A, Mayanja R, Kalyesubula R, et al. The causal effects of lipid traits on kidney function in Africans: bidirectional and multivariable Mendelian-randomization study. eBioMedicine. 2023 ;90:104537. DOI: 10.1016/ j.ebiom.2023.104537.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jwan Qader Azeez, Dler Qader Gallaly, Ismail Mustafa Maulood (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


















