Intrauterine Growth Restriction: Fetal Programming of Hypertension and Kidney Disease

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.