What is Pediatric Kidney Disease
The kidney is one of the most important organs that not only removes the waste and excess fluid from your body but also works for the regulation of blood pressure, maintenance of health and bone, balance of chemicals. The role of the kidney is the same in the child or an adult, but the disorders may differ. Kidney disorders are not only limited to adults, but it also affects the children. The cause of the disease in the children can be genetic, or there can be any other condition. Under the age of 19, any kidney disease that occurs in the children can be described as Pediatric kidney disease.
Though the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) rates are less in the children as compared to the adults, it is increasing with a steady rate in the children who consume poor nutrition. Polycystic kidney disease, genetic disorders, and other related reasons affect the boys more as compared to the girls.
Childhood Kidney Diseases
There are certain kidney diseases that occur in children. They include-
- Fetal hydronephrosis- This condition can be found before the birth of a child. It is a condition in which one or both kidneys become enlarged due to the obstruction caused in the urinary tract during the development period, and another reason is vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), a condition where the flow of the urine is backward. This condition is not normal and hence needed to be treated. It requires proper monitoring or clearance of the urinary tract.
- Posterior urethral valve obstruction- It happens only in boys because the obstruction can affect only boys. Similar to fetal hydronephrosis, this disorder can also be diagnosed before birth. This condition can be seen in one out of every 8000 babies.
- Polycystic kidney disease- It is a pediatric kidney disease that occurs in both children and adults. It is a genetic disorder that occurs when the number of cysts increases in the kidneys. It can lead to reduced kidney functioning and majorly kidney failures. This kidney disease is of two types, and these are Autosomal dominant polycystic Kidney disease, and the other one is autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. The latter is bound to happen in the children. It can also lead to the formation of cysts in many other organs like the liver.
- Multicystic kidney disease (MKD)- During fetal development, the abnormal formation of the kidneys causes multicystic kidney disease(MKD). The kidney contains many irregular cysts of different sizes during MKD. It occurs in the infant, and it is a type of cystic renal disease. It hinders the work of the kidneys. The healthy functioning kidney handles the situation at this time, and people with MKD can work usually. Prenatal ultrasound helps in the diagnosis of MKD.
- Wilms tumor- This condition is also known as nephroblastoma. It is rare cancer that happens in the kidneys of the child as well as the adults. It has its treatment available in Ayurveda. Kids who have this kind of kidney cancer can be treated to live happily ever after.
- Horseshoe kidney- When two kidneys get joined from the bottom, the condition is called horseshoe kidney. It makes the shape of alphabet U similar to the real horseshoe. This condition is also known as renal fusion. It starts to happen to the kidney of the child in the womb of the mother. It may cause some related issues to the body of the children. It is found in boys more as compared to the girls.It may show no symptoms in many cases.
In this situation, the proteins and minerals get accumulated in the kidney pf the child and form kidney stones. It has some significant symptoms like sudden urination, foul smell in the urine, pain on urination, etc.
Factors affecting the kidneys of the children
Numerous reasons can cause pediatric kidney disease and affect the kidneys of children. Many problems occur in the urinary system of the children, and it causes acute and chronic kidney failure. Whether the problem is short term or permanent, it causes certain changes in the vessel and the structure of the kidney. There are some diseases that cause kidney damage in children. These are polycystic kidney disease, hydronephrosis, glomerulonephritis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Some other reasons are-
- Congenital disabilities and blockages- There are cases when children with kidney disease have some inborn issues with their urinary tract. The UT System is consists of the ureters, kidneys, urethra, and bladder. Some kids have such a situation by birth in which the urethra begins to become blocked. It prevents proper urination in children. Generally, some surgeries are done to sort this situation of the blockage in the children.
- Hydronephrosis- Along with this disease like fetal hydronephrosis, it can happen when the child is still in the womb. This situation is slightly different from the normal narrowing of the kidneys. In a situation like fetal hydronephrosis, one or both kidneys can experience the narrowing or enlargement. The doctor suggests proper checkup of the unborn baby if fetal hydronephrosis is diagnosed during pregnancy.
- Nephrotic syndrome- Children aged six months to 5 years are likely to get nephrotic syndrome, though it also occurs in people of any age group. Boys are twice at the risk of getting nephrotic syndrome than girls. Nephrotic syndrome is bound to occur when the kidneys are unable to prevent the leakage of protein into the urine. The most significant time of catching this disease for the first time in a child is when he or she has had a cold or infection.
It is still not known what the causes of nephrotic syndrome are. Some children outgrow the disease, or some do good according to the treatment. Allopaahty suggests that there is no cure for nephrotic syndrome, whereas the Ayurveda claims that it can be treated with some herbal medications.
- Urinary tract infections- This is one of the very common pediatric kidney diseases. A child obtains a urinary tract infection (UTI) when bacteria enter the urinary tract. Solely when there is the involvement of the bladder, the condition is called cystitis, but in cases where kidneys are also involved in it, the condition is known as pyelonephritis.
It is a serious infection condition that can cause the permanent failure of the kidneys, so it is needed to give it proper care and treatment. The diagnosis of urinary tract infection is easy in adults and older children. Some common symptoms are foamy urination, urine with the blood, pain while urination, etc. The condition becomes difficult to diagnose if the patient is an infant or a toddler.
Common Symptoms of Pediatric Kidney Disease-
- Mild and severe swelling of the hands and feet. You may also experience puffiness around the eyes that can be a result of excess fluid build-up. It may affect a child to the extent where the ability of the child to move becomes typically tough.
- A lack of appetite can be seen in the kids with end-stage renal disease.
- The frequency of urination tends to decrease or increase.
- Children may start wetting beds at night.
- Change in the color of the urine can be seen normally. It can be dark or red in color; red-colored urine indicates the presence of blood in it, and some changes in the appearance of urine can also be noticed like foamy urine that indicates the presence of protein.
- Headaches and high blood pressure.
Diet for kidney disease in children-
Parents should always consult the doctors and take care of the diet of the children as the bodies of the children are highly sensitive to the environment, and they are likely to catch diseases easily.
- Children having CKD should eat adequate protein for the development of the body but also limit the intake of high protein. Excess amounts of protein can be burdensome for the kidneys, which may hinder the proper functioning of the kidneys. Some good sources of protein are cheese, chicken, milk, fish, eggs, beans, cottage cheese, etc. one should limit the intake of the protein.
- The amount of needed sodium in children depends on the stage of kidney disease a child is on and other factors like age. Canned foods, snacks, and processed foods are rich in sodium, so one should always ask the needed amount of sodium in the body affected with kidney disease in order to consume the correct sodium quantity.
- Pediatric kidney disease requires a normal range of potassium in the body of the children. Too much and too little potassium can result in heart and muscle problems.
- Too much phosphorus brings down the calcium from the bone and makes them easily breakable and weak. Children suffering from CKD are needed to control the phosphorus level in their blood.
- Kidney disease in the children produces either too much or very little urine that causes dehydration in the body. With the progress of the CKD, children should limit the intake of fluid.
Ayurvedic aspect in Kidney disorder
Ayurveda has a solution to almost every disease. Ayurveda contains the remedy to kidney diseases in children, as well. Karma Ayurveda is helping patients suffering from kidney disorders since 1935 with 100% herbal medications and a team of experts. They offer ayurvedic remedies and some edibles for kidney disorders. Some of which are turmeric, coriander, ginger, sandalwood, punarnava, palaash (butea monosperma), gokharu, varuna (Crataeva nurvala), guduchi , chandraprabha vati, netal leaf, chicory, dalchini, qudhali, salvia, kaasni, dandelion, asparagus, cetery, marshmellow root, crateva nurvala, and azadirachta indica.
