Fetal programming as a predictor of adult health or disease: the need to reevaluate fetal heart function

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017

Authors

Joana Miranda (Author) FMUP; ramalho, c (Author) FMUP; Henriques Coelho, T (Author) Other; Areias JC (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Heart Failure Reviews

Vol. 22

Pages: 861-877

ISSN: 1382-4147

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 26 Citations

Scopus - 27 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00R-AJH

DOI: 10.1007/s10741-017-9638-z

Abstract (EN): Epidemiologic and experimental evidence suggests that adverse stimuli during critical periods in utero permanently alters organ structure and function and may have persistent consequences for the long-term health of the offspring. Fetal hypoxia, maternal malnutrition, or ventricular overloading are among the major adverse conditions that can compromise cardiovascular development in early life. With the heart as a central organ in fetal adaptive mechanisms, a deeper understanding of the fetal cardiovascular physiology and of the echocardiographic tools to assess both normal and stressed pregnancies would give precious information on fetal well-being and hopefully may help in early identification of special risk groups for cardiovascular diseases later in life. Assessment of cardiac function in the fetus represents an additional challenge when comparing to children and adults, requiring advanced training and a critical approach to properly acquire and interpret functional parameters. This review summarizes the basic fetal cardiovascular physiology and the main differences from the mature postnatal circulation, provides an overview of the particularities of echocardiographic evaluation in the fetus, and finally proposes an integrated view of in utero programming of cardiovascular diseases later in life, highlighting priorities for future clinical research.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 17