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Kidney Disease Center Feature Story << return to Kidney Disease Center

Kidney Ailment Often Follows Preeclampsia The more pregnancies with the disorder, the greater the risk (HealthDay News) -- Preeclampsia significantly increases a woman's risk of having end-stage kidney disease later in life, researchers now believe. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that rates of end-stage renal disease were three to 15 times higher for women who'd had multiple pregnancies with preeclampsia. "If you have had preeclampsia, you should be aware that you are at increased risk for renal and cardiovascular disease, and you should try to reduce that risk," the study's author, Dr. Bjorn Vikse, a researcher at the University of Bergen in Norway, told HealthDay. Preeclampsia, a condition that can occur during pregnancy, causes high blood pressure, protein in the urine and fluid build-up. It can pose serious risks to both baby and mother, but it was generally believed to be over with soon after delivery. "Historically, the thought was that after delivery, everything was fine," Dr. Robert Provenzano, chief of nephrology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, told HealthDay. "But preeclampsia isn't benign, and it may initiate a cascade of damage that takes years to develop into clinically relevant renal disease," he added. "The take-home message from this study is that any young woman who has had any variant of preeclampsia and eclampsia needs to be monitored for ongoing or recurrent kidney disease, high blood pressure and diabetes," Provenzano advised. The National Kidney Disease Education Program recommends several steps to keep kidneys healthy. They include: Controlling blood pressure. Getting regular exercise. Eating healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Maintaining a healthy weight. Limiting alcohol, caffeine and sodium intake. For those with diabetes or high blood pressure, taking prescribed medications and following any lifestyle recommendations aimed at controlling the conditions. The Norwegian study, which culled data from that country's birth registries, found that of 570,433 women who gave birth between 1967 and 1991, the number of women who subsequently developed end-stage renal disease was 477. Overall, the risk of the disease was quite low. But, women who'd had preeclampsia in their first pregnancy had 4.7 times higher odds of developing the kidney disease than women who didn't experience the pregnancy complication. In women who'd had three or more pregnancies and who had preeclampsia in two or more of those pregnancies, the odds of developing renal disease were 15-fold higher than for women who hadn't experienced preeclampsia. "It's critical that doctors and patients understand that there is now a linkage between preeclampsia and [end-stage renal disease]," Provenzano said. "For women who've had preeclampsia, this is a reason to increase your sensitivity to healthy living and not add to your risk. Keep your weight down, avoid smoking and avoid drinking too much. Also, check for diabetes and blood pressure at least once a year." On the Web To learn more about how kidneys work and what can go wrong with them, visit the National Kidney Foundation. SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Bjorn Vikse, M.D., Ph.D., researcher, University of Bergen, Norway; Robert Provenzano, M.D., chief of nephrology, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit; Aug. 21, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine; National Kidney Disease Education Program (www.nkdep.nih.gov) Author: Serena Gordon Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2009 Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.