Hypertension Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hypertension, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Intrauterine growth restriction: fetal programming of hypertension and kidney disease.

Ojeda NB, Grigore D, Alexander BT

Department of Physiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216-4505, USA.

The etiology of hypertension historically includes 2 components: genetics and lifestyle. However, recent epidemiologic studies report an inverse relationship between birth weight and hypertension suggesting that a suboptimal fetal environment may also contribute to increased disease in later life. Experimental studies support this observation and indicate that cardiovascular/kidney disease originates in response to fetal adaptations to adverse conditions during prenatal life.

Published 12 March 2008 in Adv Chronic Kidney Dis, 15(2): 101-6.
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