Kidney disease risk for some pregnant women

"Research from the University of Aberdeen has found that that there was an increased risk of chronic kidney disease later in life for mothers who had high blood pressure during pregnancy.

The study followed women up to sixty years after the pregnancy and found that those who experienced hypertensive disorders (high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia or eclampsia) are more likely to suffer from kidney disease at a later date than those who had normal blood pressure.

This, the first study of this magnitude to investigate the long-term effects of hypertension in pregnancy is published in the journal – Pregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women's Cardiovascular Health.

The study used data from the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND), Grampian Renal Biochemistry Dataset (GRBD), Scottish Morbidity Records (SMR) from the Information Services Division (ISD), Scottish Renal Register (SRR) and the National Records of Scotland (NRS)to compare women's health post-pregnancy.

Dr Dolapo Ayansina said: "We found that there are long-term health problems associated with high blood pressure during pregnancy. Women who experienced hypertensive disorders during pregnancy were found to be at a greater risk of kidney disease long after the pregnancy..."

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http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-kidney-disease-pregnant-women.html

Toxin in seafood causes kidney damage in mice at levels considered safe for consumption

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"Domoic acid accumulates in seafood and is toxic to the brain. Research indicates that the toxin damages kidneys at concentrations that are 100 times lower than what causes neurological effects. 

Research indicates that humans who consume seafood may be at an increased risk of kidney damage possibly leading to kidney failure and dialysis. 

A chemical that can accumulate in seafood and is known to cause brain damage is also toxic to the kidneys, but at much lower concentrations. The findings, which come from a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), suggest that officials may need to reconsider what levels of the toxin are safe for human consumption. 

The world’s oceans contain algae that produce certain chemicals that can be harmful to humans and other living creatures. Many of these chemicals are considered neurotoxins because they cause damage to the brain. The neurotoxin domoic acid, also called “Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning...”

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