Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Feb 25.
doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03950-0. Online ahead of print.

Renal dysplasia development and chronic kidney disease

Affiliations
Review

Renal dysplasia development and chronic kidney disease

Li Zhang et al. Pediatr Res. .

Abstract

Renal dysplasia is a common congenital birth defect in childhood, caused by fetal genetic defects, epigenetic modification disorders, or environmental factors. Maternal malnutrition, placental insufficiency, and exposure to harmful substances such as alcohol, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and cocaine during pregnancy increase the risk of fetal renal dysplasia. The pathogenesis of this disease involves abnormal formation of renal units, leading to structural and functional abnormalities of the kidney. If left untreated, renal dysplasia can progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. This review explores the etiology and pathogenesis of renal dysplasia, emphasizing the intrinsic link between renal dysplasia and CKD through various pathological pathways. Additionally, we propose potential therapeutic agents targeting these mechanisms. We also highlight future research directions to further understand and address this issue. We hope this review will deepen clinicians' understanding of renal dysplasia and promote further laboratory research in this area. IMPACT: 1. This review comprehensively summarizes and elucidates the complex relationship between renal dysplasia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on previous research, offering new directions for related studies. 2. It expands upon conservative treatment approaches for renal dysplasia, providing more clinical options for therapeutic intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors certify that they have no financial and/or personal relationship with any person or organization that could have inappropriately influenced their work. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Consent statement: This review article does not involve any new studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. All data cited in this review are from published studies, and appropriate consent statements are available in the original publications.

Similar articles

References

    1. Weber, S. et al. Prevalence of mutations in renal developmental genes in children with renal hypodysplasia: results of the ESCAPE Study. J Am Soc Nephrol 17, 2864–2870 (2006). - PubMed - DOI
    1. Jelin, A. Renal agenesis. Am J Obstet Gynecol 225, B28–B30, https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(21)00681-5/fulltext (2021). - PubMed - DOI
    1. Woolf, A. S., Price, K. L., Scambler, P. J. & Winyard, P. J. D. Evolving concepts in human renal dysplasia. J Am Soc Nephrol 15, 998–1007 (2004). - PubMed - DOI
    1. Zhong, C. et al. Analysis of etiology and complications in children with stage 5 chronic kidney disease. PubMed 61, 1109–1117 (2023).
    1. Isert, S., Müller, D. & Thumfart, J. Factors associated with the development of chronic kidney disease in children with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. Front Pediatr 8, 298 (2020). - PubMed - PMC - DOI

LinkOut - more resources