Renal Functions in Low Birth Weight Children

Overview

Many potential risk factors or low birth weight (LBW)may negativelymodify the renal developmental programin utero, resulting in congenital oligonephropathy (< 0.3.106 nephrons per kidney). Impaired vasculatory developmentis another consequence of LBW. Low capillary density and endothelial dysfunction are present throughoutthe tissues. Renal functions ofLBW children are limited to early postnatally due to oligonephropathy and nephronstructural and functional immaturity. Since the nephron compensatory hypertrophy, kidney functions in LBWchildren reach the physiological values by early childhood. In contrast, the late consequences of LBW areprognosticaly more serious. Higher incidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (LBW associateddiseases) occurs within the population of LBW patients in early adulthood. The exact pathogenic mechanism ofthis association is not known. Genetic factors, risk factors ofLBW, oligonephropathy, endothelial dysfunction, lowcapillary density and adult risk factors probably play important roles. Associated diseased contribute to thesubsequent decline in renal functions, microalbuminuria may serve as an early predictor of kidney damage.Consequently, the overall incidence of chronic renal failure among LBW children in the adulthood is highercomparing to those born in term.

Key words:
low birth weight, congenital oligonephropathy, endothelial dysfunction, associated diseases,microalbuminuria, chronic renal failure