What Are the Causes of Pediatric Renal Failure?

Renal kidney failure is a condition that can occur in children, though quite rarely. According to the National Institutes of Health, it occurs in only 1 or 2 out of 100,000 children. Renal failure in children has a number of possible causes.

Types

• Kidney failure can be caused by either an acute or a chronic issue. Though acute diseases can be serious, they are not long-lasting like chronic cases.

Causes of Acute Failure

• Acute kidney disease in children is usually caused by an injury or by poisoning. However, since only one functional kidney is needed for survival, whatever causes renal failure needs to affect both kidneys. Most often acute causes can be treated quickly and effectively. A rare acute cause is hemolytic uremic syndrome, which results from ingestion of food contaminated with bacteria.

Causes of Chronic Failure

• Chronic ailments are not as easily rectified as most acute cases. A child may have a birth defect, such as a fetal urinary blockage, that leads to kidney damage or interferes with the proper development of organs. Other hereditary diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease or Alport's syndrome, can also lead to renal failure.

Potential

• Some systemic diseases, such as lupus and diabetes, can affect the kidneys and cause renal damage over time. In diseases like lupus, the child's own immune system begins to attack the kidneys.

Treatment for Complete Failure

• A child whose kidneys fail completely will require either dialysis or transplantation. Dialysis will be used if there is a chance the kidney will heal; a kidney transplant may be needed for a kidney that is beyond repair.