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Updated: Jul 14, 2025
08:15
Estimation of Nephron Number in Whole Kidney using the Acid Maceration Method
Published on: May 22, 2019
10.2K
Climate change and its influence in nephron mass.
Ana Catalina Alvarez-Elias1,2,3, Barry M Brenner4, Valerie A Luyckx4,5,6
1Renal Research Institute, New York City, New York, USA.
Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension
|October 6, 2023
Summary
Climate change negatively impacts kidney health in children and adults. Prenatal exposure to climate-related factors can reduce nephron mass, increasing lifelong kidney disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Nephrology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Climate change, marked by extreme weather and heat, adversely affects adult and child kidney function.
- The impact of climate change on fetal kidney development and long-term kidney health is under-researched.
Approach:
- This review synthesizes clinical evidence linking climate change to nephron mass.
- Examines the vulnerability of pregnant women to climate-related stressors.
Key Points:
- Maternal exposure to heat, pollution, and infections during pregnancy is linked to low birth weight, preterm birth, and preeclampsia.
- These adverse birth outcomes correlate with reduced nephron count, impaired kidney function, and hypertension in offspring.
- Air pollution exposure in children is associated with elevated blood pressure and variable effects on glomerular filtration rate.
Conclusions:
- Climate change poses a dual threat: impairing fetal kidney development and causing postnatal kidney injury.
- Adverse effects on population-level kidney health in future generations are a significant concern.
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