Renal disorders in pregnancy

This update discusses the mechanisms responsible for gestational augmentation of renal haemodynamics, the role of urinary tract infections in preterm labour and paediatric development, and the importance of post-delivery infection and its relationship to previous catheterization. Pregnancy in women with chronic renal disease, on dialysis or with a kidney transplant, is reviewed emphasizing the risks in those women who already have problems pre-pregnancy, the problems associated with medication used during pregnancy and the impact of pregnancy on long-term prognosis. New information about altered glomerular physiology in pre-eclampsia is assessed. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 13:109-114. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.