Role of Sex Hormones in Prevalent Kidney Diseases

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 9; p. 8244
• Main Authors: Conte, Carolina, Antonelli, Giulia, Melica, Maria Elena, Tarocchi, Mirko, Romagnani, Paola, Peired, Anna Julie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 04.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Androgens; Cardiovascular disease; chronic kidney disease; Chronic kidney failure; Development and progression; Diabetes mellitus; diabetic kidney disease; Diabetic Nephropathies - epidemiology; Disease Progression; end-stage kidney disease; End-stage renal disease; Epidemiology; Estrogens; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Hormone replacement therapy; Hormones; Hormones, Sex; Humans; IgA nephropathy; Immunoglobulin A; Industrialized nations; Kidney; Kidney diseases; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Kidney transplants; Lupus; Lupus nephritis; Male; Males; Menopause; Nephritis; Nephrology; Oophorectomy; Ovaries; Physiology; Polycystic kidney; Public health; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic - epidemiology; Review; Sex hormones; Testosterone; Transgender persons; Womens health; United States > US; diabetic kidney disease; animal models; chronic kidney disease; IgA nephropathy; end-stage kidney disease; sex hormones; lupus nephritis; autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098244

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a constantly growing global health burden, with more than 840 million people affected worldwide. CKD presents sex disparities in the pathophysiology of the disease, as well as in the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and disease progression. Overall, while CKD is more frequent in females, males have a higher risk to progress to end-stage kidney disease. In recent years, numerous studies have highlighted the role of sex hormones in the health and diseases of several organs, including the kidney. In this review, we present a clinical overview of the sex-differences in CKD and a selection of prominent kidney diseases causing CKD: lupus nephritis, diabetic kidney disease, IgA nephropathy, and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. We report clinical and experimental findings on the role of sex hormones in the development of the disease and its progression to end-stage kidney disease.