Pregnancy and the kidney

Abstract

Striking changes in maternal renal function and homeostasis of body fluids accompany human pregnancy, and knowledge of these alterations is often a requisite for the proper evaluation of a complicated gestation. This article summarizes the physiological changes occurring during pregnancy and current thoughts concerning the effects of preexisting renal disease on the course and outcome of pregnancy. A more extensive review of this subject has been recently published, and the genesis and management of acute renal failure in obstetrical practice is detailed elsewhere in this symposium.