Chronic hypoxia as a mechanism for progressive renal fibrosis

Renal fibrosis is the hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to organ failure and the need for renal replacement therapy. An increasing body of evidence suggests that tissue hypoxia, which is sustained, among other things, by progressive microvascular loss, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ongoing renal fibrosis via direct and indirect mechanisms. Therapeutic strategies that target chronic hypoxia may be of benefit in ameliorating this intractable disease.

Section editor:Michael S. Goligorsky – Renal Research Institute, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA