Association of linear growth velocities between 0 and 6 years with kidney function and size at 10 years: A birth cohort study in Ethiopia

Background: Risk of noncommunicable diseases accrues from fetal life, with early childhood growth having an important role in adult disease risk. There is a need to understand how early-life growth relates to kidney function and size. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the association of linear growth velocities among children between 0 and 6 y with kidney function and size among children aged 10 y. Methods: The Ethiopian Anthropometric and Body Composition birth cohort recruited infants born at term to mothers living in Jimma with a birth weight of ≥1500 g and without congenital malformations. Participants were followed up with 13 measurements between birth and 6 y of age. The latest follow-up was at ages 7–12 y with measurement of serum cystatin C as a marker of kidney function and ultrasound assessment of kidney dimensions. Kidney volume was computed using an ellipsoid formula. Linear-spline multilevel modeling was used to compute linear growth velocities between 0 and 6 y. Multiple linear regression modeling was used to examine the associations of linear growth velocities in selected age periods with cystatin C and kidney size. Results: Data were captured from 355 children, at a mean age of 10 (range 7–12) y. The linear growth velocity was high between 0 and 3 mo and then decreased with age. There was no evidence of an association of growth velocity ≤24 mo with cystatin C at 10 y. Between 24 and 48 and 48 and 76 mo, serum cystatin C was higher by 2.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6, 4.2] and 2.1% (95% CI: 0.3, 4.0) for 1 SD higher linear growth velocity, respectively. We found a positive association between linear growth velocities at all intervals between 0 and 6 y and kidney volume. Conclusions: Greater linear growth between 0 and 6 y of development was positively associated with kidney size, and greater growth velocity after 2 y was associated with higher serum cystatin C concentrations.