Low birth weight is associated with decline in renal function in Japanese male and female adolescents

Low birth weight (LBW) is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in later life and is becoming increasingly common in developed countries, including Japan. Furthermore, a serial decrease in birth weight has been associated with an increasing prevalence of CKD stage 2 in male Japanese adolescents. Sex-specific differences affect CKD susceptibility, and the association between birth weight and CKD in women, has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the sex-specific effect of LBW on renal function. Annual cross-sectional data of 2417 Japanese adolescents (males 1736; females 681), aged 15–16 years, were evaluated over 8 years (2007–2014). Over the study period, mean birth weights decreased significantly in males (p