Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a condition in which a baby doesn’t grow to normal weight while in the womb, has been a known risk for kidney failure. A recent Norwegian study, published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found that IUGR also significantly increases the risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD).*

What they did

Markers for intrauterine growth restriction include the following:

• Low birth weight (LBW), meaning below the 10th percentile
• Small for gestational age (SGA), meaning a birth weight below the 10th percentile for gestational age
• Premature (preterm) birth, defined as delivery after less than 37 weeks

The study’s authors used birth and patient registries to assess kidney disease risk for 2,663,010 men and women born between 1967 and 2015. 

What they found

After an average follow-up of 26 years, 4,495 people had been diagnosed with CKD, and 12,818 had been diagnosed with other forms of kidney disease. 

Low birth weight was also associated with:

• acute kidney disease, 
• glomerulonephritis,
• cystic kidney disease, and 
• kidney disease related to malformations in the kidneys or urinary tract.

Thus, the study revealed that people with IUGR had 60-70% greater odds of receiving a CKD diagnosis by their 50th birthday than people without IUGR.

What it means

According to Anna Gjerde, MD, of the Department of Medicine at Haugesund Hospital and co-author of the study, further research is critical to identify markers, start treatment earlier, and prevent or at least delay kidney failure.

“Starting now, we suggest that clinicians should ask their kidney patients for information on birth history,” Gjerde and her co-authors wrote. “The main finding in our study is that it provides evidence that individuals born with LBW and SGA not only have higher risk for development of kidney failure, but also for the much more prevalent CKD.”

*Webb, M. J. (2020, Aug. 20). Low birth weight may increase CKD risk by 70%, highlighting importance of birth history. Nephrology News and Issues. https://www.healio.com/news/nephrology/20200820/low-birth-weight-may-increase-ckd-risk-by-70-highlighting-importance-of-birth-history