What causes Kidney diseases in children?
Kidney diseases in children cause a lot of mental agony and grief to parents. Today, there are effective treatment modalities for many kidney diseases. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatments are essential to cure or delay the occurrence of end stage kidney failure.
The usual symptoms of kidney diseases are swelling of feet and face, frothy urine, blood staining of urine, reduced quantity of urine, loss of appetite or vomiting, failure of growth in children. High blood pressure (hypertension), low haemoglobin levels (anaemia), bony deformities, poor scholastic performance in school can be the presentations of poor kidney function; repeated urinary tract infections may be due to congenital abnormalities of kidney and urinary tract; kidney stones in children may be due to inherited metabolic disorders or obstruction to urine flow.
It is important to have the child seen by a doctor and appropriate tests done to make a diagnosis of kidney disease / kidney failure. Simple and inexpensive tests like urine examination for proteins and red blood cells and blood test for serum creatinine would indicate the presence of a significant kidney disease. If there is a suspicion of a kidney disease, the child needs to be shown to a Nephrologist ( kidney specialist) who can advise on further tests and the treatment that is needed.
Diagnosis of kidney diseases in children
If kidney diseases are diagnosed in the initial stages, effective treatment with medicines and dietary restrictions can be undertaken. Good control of blood pressure protects the kidneys form further damage. Excessive body weight (obesity) is known to lead on to kidney diseases in future; smoking is another risk factor for kidney disease. Those who have diabetes mellitus (high blood sugar levels) must get their blood sugar levels under control with proper diet and medicines.
If the kidney disease progresses on to severe degree of kidney failure, the child would need to undergo dialysis or later kidney transplantation. There are two types of dialysis – haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Haemodialysis is usually done in hospitals, while peritoneal dialysis can be done at home by parents. The definitive and curative treatment for end stage kidney failure is kidney transplantation. Kidney is usually donated by parents, grandparents, or siblings above the age of 20 years. Kidney transplantation for children can be done very successfully in hospitals which have the necessary infrastructure, equipment, and the medical personnel experienced in performing kidney transplantations in children. Kidney transplantation gives a second lease of life to these children with permanent kidney failure.
