Pediatric Kidney Disease
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KIDNEY DISEASE Kidney disease is not just a disease that can affect adults. Children can experience this condition because of different factors that range from treatable disorders to life-threatening illnesses. In the most severe cases, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not treatable and eventually leads to kidney transplants or a blood-filtering treatment called dialysis. On the other hand, obesity is an aggravating condition that can potentially influence the progression of kidney disease because it is associated with high blood pressure.
STATS According to the National Kidney Foundation, in the United States, about 37 million people in the U.S. (15% of the adult population are experiencing kidney disease. And 90% of American kidney disease patients don’t know they have it.
The Role of Both Kidneys The kidneys are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of the spine. The function of these organs is filtering blood. It is estimated that both organs process 120 to 150 quarts of blood approximately to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine. When the kidneys fail, acute kidney failure occurs. In this case, they suddenly lose the ability to filter waste from the blood, and it can accumulate to harmful levels, unbalancing the chemical composition of the blood. The asymptomatic nature of chronic kidney disease influences its late diagnosis.
HYDRONEPHROSIS On the other hand, hydronephrosis is another cause of kidney failure and occurs when urine is not drained properly into the bladder. This condition causes kidney inflammation and is very common among male children. It can be due to birth disorders, kidney stones, blood clots, tumors, or lesions in the urinary tract.
DIAGNOSIS
Kidney disease can occur when children and adolescents have untreated conditions that increase the risk of experiencing this condition. In the United States, about 4% of youths have hypertension, while about 10% have high blood pressure.
Usually, diagnosing kidney disease requires a blood test. This test allows the doctor to calculate the kidney’s ability to filter blood by measuring creatinine in your’s child blood.
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