Prenatal causes of kidney diseases

Abstract

Deleterious environmental factors during pregnancy influence fetal development and increase the risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease in adult offspring. Undernutrition, protein restriction, excess salt, corticosteroids, or placental insufficiency disturb kidney development, causing a lower number of nephrons (referred to as nephron underdosing). This in turn leads to hypertension and accelerated loss of kidney function in the adult life of the offspring. The nephron underdosing can be observed with or without intrauterine growth restriction. A lower number of nephrons have been confirmed in humans with hypertension.