Maternal Diabetes Linked to Childhood Kidney Disease

Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are highly likely to have an abnormal prenatal history. Low birth weight, maternal gestational diabetes mellitus, and maternal obesity all affect the risk for childhood CKD.

Christine Hsu, MD, from the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues published the results of their population-based case control study online April 17 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. They evaluated 1994 patients with CKD diagnosed from 1987 to 2008 and 20,032 control patients. The study lacked maternal body mass index data from 44.4% of patients with CKD and 47.7% of control patients.

The investigators identified a prevalence of 126.7 CKD cases per 100,000 births. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were 2.88 for low birth rate (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.28 - 3.63), 1.54 for gestational diabetes mellitus (95% CI, 1.13 - 2.09), 1.24 for maternal overweight (95% CI,1.05 - 1.48), and 1.26 for maternal obesity (95% CI, 1.05 - 1.52). The researchers made adjustments for maternal race, residence of census tract (urban, rural, or missing), and parity.

"[W]e have demonstrated significant associations between childhood CKD and primary prenatal exposures of low birth weight and maternal factors, including [gestational diabetes mellitus], [pregestational diabetes mellitus], overweight and obesity. We identified cases of CKD with structural kidney malformations, one of the criteria for CKD according to both [the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative] and [Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes]. The [Washington] birth record linkage enabled the largest study to date of these hypotheses," the authors write.

The current study builds on previous work in the field of CKD epidemiology, which has focused primarily on end-stage renal disease, when dialysis and transplantation become necessary. The results are consistent with previous studies that have suggested that diabetes mellitus may cause abnormal renal development via compromised fetal programming. In addition, maternal obesity has previously been shown to be associated with malformations of the urogenital system.

"[P]revious data demonstrate that if we educate and provide intensive [diabetes mellitus] care early to diabetic mothers, the rate of congenital malformations in births to diabetic mothers decreases to levels comparable to non-diabetic mothers. Additionally, children with CKD were significantly more likely to have obese mothers; thus our data underscores the potential impact of maternal obesity on future generations," the authors conclude.

The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

J Am Soc Nephrol. Published online April 17, 2014.

Send comments and news tips to news@medscape.net.

Cite this: Maternal Diabetes Linked to Childhood Kidney Disease - Medscape - Apr 17, 2014.

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

My Alerts