Contact: Ellen Bank
843.792.2626
Sunday, May 21, 2000
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A relationship has been found between low birthweight
and chronic renal failure according to a study published in the May 22
issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine and conducted by a team headed
by Daniel Lackland, Dr.P.H., a Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
epidemiologist.
Low birthweight is more common in South Carolina and in the Southeast,
compared to other states and regions and is more common among blacks compared
to whites. Therefore, the results of this study may provide an explanation
for the high rates of renal failure
in the southeastern region of the United States and among the black population.
The published study is entitled, “Low Birthweights Contribute to the High
Rates of Early Onset Chronic Renal Failure in the Southeast United States.”
Other investigators who participated in this study are Brent M. Egan, M.D.,
of the MUSC Department of Pharmacology and Holly E. Bendall, MSc,
Clive Osmond, Ph.D., and David J.P. Barker, M.D., Ph.D., all of the Medical
Research Council, Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton,
Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England. Lackland and his team
identified 2,446 South Carolina residents who developed chronic renal failure
before their 50th birthday and became dependent on renal dialysis.
Of these, the investigators were able to obtain birthweight
information on 1,230. They found that among people whose birthweight
was less than 2.5 kilograms (approximately 5.5 pounds), the odds ratio
for chronic renal failure was 1.4 compared with people who weighed between
3 and 3.5 kg (6.6 to 7.7 lbs.) at birth. This means that those with
the lower birthweight were 1.4 times as likely to suffer from chronic renal
failure than those of higher birthweights, explained Lackland, who is a
professor of biometry and epidemiology at MUSC. This led us to the
conclusion that low birthweights, which reflect adverse effects on more
development in utero, contribute to early onset of chronic renal failure.
The investigators also looked at the relationship between low birthweight
and chronic renal failure resulting from a variety of causes, the most
common being diabetes and hypertension. They found that the association
was present no matter what the underlying cause of the renal failure. This
suggests that an adverse environment in utero impairs kidney development
and makes it more vulnerable to damage from a range of diseases,
said Lackland. The study has an important implication for public health
policy, according to Lackland. He said that the number of people with chronic
renal disease being maintained on dialysis is expected to increase during
the next 40 years. This means that the economic burden to Medicare,
which covers the costs of care will continue to grow with an increasing
disease rate and an aging population.
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