Intrauterine determinants of diabetic kidney disease in disadvantaged populations.

Disadvantaged populations worldwide are experiencing an increasing incidence of kidney disease, much of which is attributable to diabetes. This report reviews the evidence that intrauterine exposure to growth retardation, diabetes, and vitamin A deficiency contribute disproportionately to the rising incidence of kidney disease in disadvantaged people, because they encounter these exposures more frequently than people from developed countries. These abnormal intrauterine exposures reduce nephron mass by impairing nephrogenesis, thereby increasing the susceptibility to kidney damage from diseases such as hypertension and diabetes that commonly affect disadvantaged people.