A recent study has linked weight fluctuations--or body mass index variability--to higher risks of cardiovascular-related problems and early death in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings of the study appear in the journal 'JASN'. Body mass index variability is associated with higher risks of developing heart conditions in the general population. Because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in individuals with CKD, a team led by Dong Ki Kim, MD, Ph.D., Sehoon Park, MD, and Kyungdo Han, Ph.D. examined whether BMI variability may affect the prognosis of patients with kidney dysfunction. The study included 84,636 patients with CKD who were listed in a national health screening database in South Korea. During a median follow-up of 4 years, 6 per cent of individuals died, 4 per cent needed kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis, 2 per cent suffered a heart attack, and three per cent suffered a stroke.