Introduction to Kidney Function and Disease
Each year, only one or two children ages 19 and under experience kidney failure out of every 100,000 children. Adults are 20 times more likely to develop kidney failure than children, with more than 30 people in every 100,000 annually. The risk increases steadily with age.
African Americans in their late teens are three times more likely than Caucasians in the same age group to develop kidney failure, as well as diseases that damage the tiny blood vessels in the kidney. In addition, boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to develop kidney failure from birth defects, polycystic kidney disease, or other hereditary diseases.
The Kidneys and Their Function
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. When blood flows through the kidneys, waste products and extra water are removed from the blood and sent to the bladder as urine. The kidneys also regulate blood pressure, balance chemicals like sodium and potassium, and make hormones to help bones grow and keep the blood healthy by making new red blood cells.
Causes of Kidney Failure in Children
Kidney failure may be acute or chronic. Acute diseases develop quickly and can be very serious. Although an acute disease may have long-lasting consequences, it usually lasts for only a short time and then goes away once the underlying cause has been treated. Chronic diseases, however, do not go away and tend to get worse over time. When the kidneys stop working, doctors use a treatment called dialysis to remove waste products and extra water from patients with chronic kidney failure.
Acute Kidney Diseases
Acute kidney disease may result from an injury, poisoning, or other temporary illness that affects the kidneys. Any injury that results in loss of blood may reduce kidney function temporarily, but once the blood supply is replenished, the kidneys usually return to normal. Other kinds of acute kidney disease in children include Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and Nephrotic Syndrome.
Chronic Kidney Diseases
Unfortunately, the conditions that lead to chronic kidney failure in children cannot be easily fixed. Often, the condition will develop so slowly that it goes unnoticed until the kidneys have been permanently damaged. Treatment may slow down the progression of some diseases, but in many cases the child will eventually need dialysis or transplantation.
Causes of chronic didney diseases include:
- Birth defects
- Blocked urine flow and reflux
- Hereditary diseases
- Glomerular diseases
- Systemic diseases
