Prematurity in babies has been associated with an increased risk of kidney failure later in life.
Premature births are significant risk factors for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adulthood, according to a Swedish study released today by BMJ.
The high rates of premature births (currently 10% in the United States and 5 to 8% in Europe) and the better survival of babies have created a new category of population, with specific biological characteristics.
Formation of nephrons
Premature birth interrupts the development of the kidneys at the end of pregnancy, which leads to a lack of formation of nephrons, the filters that eliminate waste and toxins from the body. Based on these elements, the researchers listed more than 4 million births that occurred in Sweden between 1973 and 2014. Cases of chronic kidney disease were then identified until 2015, when the members of the cohort were in their forties.
Result: premature births (less than 37 weeks) were associated with an almost twice as high risk of CKD in adulthood. Extremely premature births (less than 28 weeks) have been linked to a three times higher risk of CKD in adulthood.
Long-term follow-up
These associations affected both men and women and did not appear to be related to common genetic or environmental factors in families. People born prematurely “need long-term follow-up to preserve kidney function throughout life,” the research authors conclude.
Chronic kidney disease, or chronic renal failure, is a decrease in the functioning of the kidneys which no longer properly filter the body’s blood. The main causes are diabetes and high blood pressure.
A long silent disease
Chronic kidney disease is a disease that has been silent for a long time, is progressive and does not regress. Its natural evolution is more or less slow but can go until the total loss of the renal function. This is called end-stage renal failure, requiring replacement therapy by dialysis and/or kidney transplant. It is possible to slow down this evolution by avoiding or treating all the factors that can aggravate it.
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