Kidney Failure
What is kidney failure?
Kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD) happens when the kidneys no longer remove wastes from the blood or control salts in the body.
Kidney failure occurs when the kidneys can’t function at a level that supports life. It usually occurs when kidney function is less than 10 percent of normal levels for a child’s age and weight.
At 10 percent function, the kidneys develop severe problems. Without dialysis or kidney transplant, death will occur from a build-up of fluids and waste products in the body.
Who gets kidney failure?
Kidney failure occurs in both children and adults.
Kidney failure in children can occur as a result of several different conditions or diseases. The causes can include:
- Kidney and bladder defects that a child was born with
- Hereditary diseases such as congenital nephrotic syndrome, polycystic kidney disease and cystinosis
- Reflux and infections
- Glomerulonephritis
- Nephrosis
- Poisoning
- Allergic reaction to a drug
- Tumors
What’s special about the way Children’s treats kidney failure?
We have been treating kidney failure in children since 1984. Children’s has consistently ranked among the top five national pediatric kidney transplant centers, both in overall number of transplants performed and in survival rates.
We are committed to excellent patient and organ survival outcomes. We are consistently improving our dialysis management, transplantation surgery techniques and medication therapy strategies so we can provide the most current treatments and the very best patient care.
Led by Dr. Patrick Healey, Children’s division chief of Transplantation, and Dr. Ruth McDonald, medical director of Solid Organ Transplant at Children’s, our nephrology specialists are leading experts in the field of pediatric kidney disease, and publish findings in medical journals around the world. Our transplant specialists lead and actively participate in regional and national organizations and research programs focused on pediatric kidney disease.
We continue to advance the state of practice and understanding of transplant through our research programs. Currently, our top research priority is decreasing patients’ dependence on anti-rejection drugs.
We are also committed to the recruitment and retention of the best transplant specialists. As a teaching hospital, we are invested in training tomorrow’s pediatric nephrologists and researchers. Our pediatric nephrology fellowship program—one of a handful in the United States—attracts the best and brightest young doctors from around the world.
What are the treatment options for kidney failure?
Dialysis or kidney transplant are the only treatments for kidney failure. The overall health of your child determines which treatments is used.
Other treatments for chronic renal failure are performed with dialysis or transplant for different purposes:
- Blood transfusions and medications may control anemia (fewer than normal red blood cells in the blood).
- Fluids may be limited to an amount equal to how much urine is produced.
Dietary limitations may slow the build-up of wastes in the bloodstream. We may specify a low-protein diet. Salt may also be restricted. - We may use drugs to keep calcium and phosphorus in good balance and minimize bone disease.
- Both oral and IV iron and a synthetic hormone call erthyropoetin may be used to help make red blood cells.