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Treatment for Kidney Failure in Children
The Kidneys keep our body healthy in numerous ways, from filtering blood to releasing important hormones in the body. When kidneys fail, waste builds up. Kidney damage usually happens over time, but can also affect at a very young age. Though Kidney disease in children is treatable, sometimes it becomes life-threatening.
What causes kidney disease in children?
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The causes of kidney disorders are quite different in children than in adults:
1. Birth defects
2. Congenital abnormalities
3. Hereditary diseases like polycystic kidney disease
4. Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
5. Glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomeruli)
6 . Traumas such as burns, dehydration or injury
7. Urinary blockage or urinary reflux
What are the symptoms of kidney disease in children?
The symptoms of kidney disease can be different for each child. Some most common symptoms include:
1. Fever like symptoms such as nausea, weakness, fatigue and loss of appetite.
2. Swelling and puffiness around the eyes.
3. Burning or pain during urination.
4. Urinary incontinence
5. Blood in the urine
6. High blood pressure
7. Urinary tract infections
How is kidney disease diagnosed in children?
Kidney disease in children is diagnosed through physical examinations, blood tests, urine tests, CT scans/MRI, ultrasound techniques and pediatric renal biopsy procedure.
How kidney failure is treated in children?
Kidney transplant is recommended as an effective kidney failure treatment in children. Though, some children begin with dialysis to stay healthy until they can havea kidney transplant.
Kidney transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a healthy kidney from a deceased or living donor is inserted into the patient’s body whose kidneys are no longer functioning properly.. To receive a donor kidney, a child needs to undergo a medical evaluation at a pediatric renal transplant center.
