How to Treat Kidney Disease in Child
Kidney disease can not only occur in adults, but can also occur in children. Kidney disease in children can be caused by a variety of things, ranging from genetic factors to side effects from taking certain medications. Sometimes symptoms that can appear are difficult to detect so parents should be able to be more vigilant. Then how to treat kidney disease in child? Check out the explanation here, but before that you need to know the causes and symptoms that appear.
The kidneys are a pair of organs on the right and left sides under the back rib cage. The kidneys have very important functions for the body, ranging from filtering blood, controlling blood pressure, to stimulating the formation of red blood cells.
When there is a decrease in kidney function or a kidney disorder, it can trigger various health problems such as hypertension to kidney failure. Disorders of the kidneys can be experienced by anyone, including children. The causes also vary, ranging from congenital disorders, infections, side effects of taking certain medicines to poisoning with certain substances.
Causes of Kidney Disease in Child
The following are some of the causes of kidney disease in children based on their condition.
Causes of Acute Kidney Disease
Acute kidney disease is a sudden decrease in kidney function or kidney damage and less than 3 months. Some of the causes of a child experiencing acute kidney failure are as follows:
- Sepsis is a complication of a severe infection that is late to treat or untreated, for example the impact of a urinary tract or kidney infection
- Inflammation of the kidneys occurs, for example in glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome
- Blood flow to the kidneys becomes reduced or stops suddenly which can be caused by several conditions, such as loss of blood due to injury due to an accident, severe burns, bleeding during surgery, and severe dehydration
- Conditions that can inhibit the supply of oxygen and blood to the kidneys, such as hypoxia and cardiac arrest
- Side effects of taking certain medications, especially medicines taken in the long term or at high doses
- Exposure to toxic chemicals, such as arsenic, mercury, and lead
Causes of Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease is kidney disease that lasts for more than 3 months. Chronic kidney disease can occur slowly or begin with acute kidney disease. Most cases of chronic kidney disease can cause permanent damage to the kidneys. Some of the factors that can cause chronic kidney disease in children are as follows:
- Genetic disorders such as: Alport syndrome disorder and cystinosis. Alport syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes impaired formation of the kidneys, eyes, and ears. Cystinosis is a rare genetic disorder that causes kidney cell damage
- Defects from birth, for example children born with only one kidney or born with abnormal kidney shape, size, and location
- Polycystic kidney disease
- History of acute kidney disease, such as nephritis syndrome and nephrotic syndrome that do not improve or are late to be treated
- There is a blockage in the urinary tract that is chronic, for example due to urinary tract infections that occur repeatedly or there are stones in the urinary tract
- Chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and untreated lupus
- Born prematurely with a low birth weight
Symptoms of Kidney Disease in Children
Kidney disease in its early stages is often asymptomatic. Symptoms will begin to appear if there has been a decline in kidney function or kidney damage. When already experiencing kidney disorders, the child can show some symptoms, the following:
- Frequency of urination becomes less frequent
- Looks in pain and fussy every time you urinate
- Bloody pee
- Fever
- No appetite
- Frequent vomiting
- Exhausted and looking pale
- Swelling in the legs, hands, and face
- Frequent headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Child growth and development hampered
How to Treat Kidney Disease in Child
To diagnose kidney disease in children, doctors can perform several physical examinations and supporting examinations, such as urine tests, blood tests, radiological tests, to kidney biopsies.
Treatment of kidney disease in children depends on the underlying cause. If kidney disease is caused by an infection, such as a bacterial infection, then the doctor can give antibotics to treat the infection that causes kidney disease.
If kidney disease is caused by high blood pressure, then the doctor can provide treatment to lower blood pressure. For conditions caused by birth defects, the doctor can perform medical measures in accordance with the condition of the kidney.
Treatment must be done early to prevent permanent damage to the kidneys resulting in kidney failure. If the child already has kidney failure, the doctor can provide several treatments, which include:
- Medications and nutrient intake through food, specifically for kidney disease
- Dialysis
- Blood transfusion, if kidney failure has caused anemia
- Kidney transplant
The choice of method used to treat kidney disease in children will be adjusted to the cause and how severe the condition is.
It is hoped that by knowing the causes and symptoms of kidney disease in children, you can be more alert and can immediately take your child to the doctor. That way the handling of kidney disease in children can be done as early as possible to prevent complications.
That's the explanation that we can write about how to treat kidney disease in child, hopefully the information can be useful.
