The immune system of the child's body is not yet sufficiently developed as in adults. Therefore, it is vulnerable to the effects of most pathogenic microorganisms. After the birth of a child, a very young organism, which began its formation in the womb, continues to gradually develop, and the kidneys complete this process only by 1.5 years. Over time, immunity will return to normal, but so far there is a risk of developing kidney diseases in children.
Typically, at this time, the child begins to show characteristic signs, but in some cases, such diseases are asymptomatic, due to which there may be various complications. For this reason, parents need to know how a disease manifests itself in order to take appropriate measures in a timely manner.
The structure of the urinary system
Our kidneys are filters of natural origin. Blood is pumped through these organs, cleansing itself of various toxic compounds (from the outside or as a result of the metabolic process). Together with urine, they are excreted from the body.
The kidneys are bean-shaped and are located on both sides of the spinal column in the lumbar region. Outside, they are covered with adipose tissue, under which there is a fibrous capsule. Urine is produced in the parenchyma, and then it enters the bladder through special channels, and from there the body leaves the urethra.
The bladder does not fill up immediately, but over time. The urge to urinate appears when the “vault” is more than half full. But with a violation of nervous regulation, urinary tract dysfunction can occur.
Therefore, in order to avoid the development of diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract in children, it is extremely important to maintain an optimal balance of the internal environment of the body. Only in this case, the metabolism passes in the working mode, without deviations, blood cells are formed.
At what age does the disease manifest?
Many parents are interested in this question - at what age do children of the disease begin to manifest themselves? As already mentioned above, the kidneys in a child are formed by 1.5 years. The urinary system of the fetus, while it develops in the womb, does not work at full capacity. By the size of the organs in infants are very small and only by the age of 6 months they gain normal size.
Often, the disease makes itself felt at critical periods in the development of the child's body. There are only three of them:
- The period is from birth to 3 years. This time is the most dangerous in relation to the development of urinary tract disorders. If parents had similar problems, just right now, congenital kidney diseases in children begin to appear. At the moment, there is a final adaptation of the child's body to new living conditions.
- The period is 5-7 years. This moment is associated with certain age-related changes occurring in the children's body that is still quite young. For this reason, many of its internal systems, including the genitourinary, are not very resistant to attack by pathogenic microorganisms.
- The period is considered teenage - 14-18 years. Violation of the functionality of the urinary system at this time is due to rapid growth along with a change in hormonal levels.
Those children whose parents suffer from pyelonephritis, or who have obvious violations of the endocrine system, are at the greatest risk. In this case, mothers and fathers need to especially closely monitor the health status of their child. This will allow timely detection of alarming “bells”, because the sooner this happens, the more successful the treatment will be.
Symptomatology
In most cases, a pediatrician will be able to detect kidney disease in a child. The doctor, after listening to the complaints of the young patient, writes out directions for passing the necessary tests, after which he is diagnosed and the necessary course of therapy is chosen.
Although in some cases the symptoms of kidney disease in children are secretive or it all starts with signs of a cold, there are characteristic signs that are hard to miss. Caring and attentive parents are able to notice a number of changes:
- Elevated body temperature.
- When urinating, the child feels pain, which can be guessed from his crying.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- The color of urine changed - it became a dark shade with flocculent impurities.
- Swelling of the face, which is especially noticeable in the mornings after awakening the child.
- Urinary incontinence or delay.
- The child complains of a constant feeling of thirst and dry mouth.
- "Bags" under the eyes.
And since in some cases kidney diseases can occur secretly, it is necessary to closely monitor the condition of your child and just in case not to lose sight of any changes in his well-being.
The manifestation of the disease in children up to a year
Due to their very young age, young children will not be able to directly tell parents that something is bothering them. For this reason, adults should be doubly alert. What should alert mothers and fathers, and how to suspect kidney disease in children up to a year?
First of all, with kidney dysfunction, the color and smell of urine changes. It is also worth paying attention to the increase in tummy crumbs. For boys, a weak stream should also be a cause for concern. At the same time, this is also characteristic of phimosis.
It is important to remember that any warning sign associated with kidney disease should not be left without due attention. Otherwise, it threatens the most unpredictable consequences for the health of the child. For example, a congenital pathology or diseases of the urinary tract occurring in a chronic form can lead to a significant lag in terms of the development of the child.
But besides this, complications after chronic diseases can be more formidable - acute renal failure. And this phenomenon is already threatening not only the health of the crumbs, but also his life.
Types of Kidney Disease Among Children
In pediatrics, kidney diseases in children are referred to in their own way. In medical practice, there are more than 30 types of pathologies with respect to the kidneys and urinary system. And almost the majority of them occur in children of different age categories. In the framework of this article we will touch only on the most common diseases.
Constraint Issues
Here we are talking about such cases:
- Urinary incontinence.
- Urinary incontinence.
- Enuresis.
The first two cases are at first glance identical and consonant with each other, but at the same time have significant differences. A violation such as incontinence is that the child cannot restrain fluid in the bladder without experiencing any obvious urge. This phenomenon causes significant discomfort not only to him, but also to his parents. It is only worth considering that the child acquires control over urination only by 1-2 years. Until now, such a diagnosis has not been made.
In case of incontinence, the child feels the urge, but is not able to restrain urine and does not have time to run to the toilet.
In cases of kidney disease in children such as enuresis, urine is not held by the child at night. That is, in the daytime, the child, if necessary, can go to the toilet in the usual and normal mode. However, in the morning his bed is usually wet. In the absence of proper therapy, this type of violation can persist for the whole life of the child, which is extremely undesirable.
Renal pelvis expansion
It is a pathological condition that is implied, since there is also a physiological state. During the intrauterine development of the child, the kidneys are not yet able to fully function and the placenta takes on all the tasks. But a small amount of urine is still collected in the renal pelvis, and for this reason, even before the birth of the baby, they expand. This is the normal physiology of the child, the condition goes away just in time for 1.5 years.
Nevertheless, there may be cases of pathological expansion of the renal pelvis, for which there are a variety of reasons. We are talking about reflux, according to which urine is thrown back into the kidney from the ureter. It is also worth considering the abnormal development of these organs. This is also the cause of kidney disease in children.
During the first month of life, all young children, without exception, are highly recommended to have an ultrasound of the kidneys. And in the case when the physiological expansion of the pelvis is revealed, the situation should be controlled. To do this, every three months you need to undergo a re-examination. This will allow timely detection of any violations and take the necessary measures.
Infectious processes
Among all diseases, cases of an infectious nature are much more common. According to medical practice, every third child suffered from such a problem. In the ranking list according to the frequency of occurrence, these diseases occupy second place after respiratory infections.
There are several types of infections in the urinary system:
- Cystitis - an inflammatory process that affects the bladder.
- Urethritis - the urethra membrane undergoes inflammation.
- Pyelonephritis is a kidney disease in children when organ tissues become inflamed.
In addition, pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria) that do not show anything in the urinary tract may be present. Moreover, they penetrate the urethra along the ascending path. That is, their primary location is the perineum and genitals, after which the bacteria reach the bladder along the urethra, and from there penetrate the kidneys.
Due to the physiological structure of the genitals of girls, they are more likely than boys to be at risk of developing infectious diseases of the urinary system. This is due to the fact that the female urethra is wider and shorter, which contributes to the unhindered movement of bacteria.
For this reason, the personal hygiene of girls requires a special approach. In this case, it is important to carry out the washing procedure correctly - from front to back to avoid infection from the anus on the genitals of the crumbs. When the girl reaches a certain age, the mother will have to teach her daughter how to do such manipulations on her own.
Renal failure
Signs of kidney disease in children may be associated with a partial or complete loss of their functionality. But it all depends on the severity of the manifestation. As a result of complete renal dysfunction, this threatens a more formidable complication - acute renal failure. This condition puts the child’s life at risk and requires immediate medical attention.
With this pathology, the electrolyte balance is disturbed, and uric acid accumulates in the plasma, and in a rather large amount. Doctors distinguish two forms of renal failure - chronic and acute. The first type is rather a complication of other diseases of a similar form (pyelonephritis, diabetes mellitus, congenital malformations of the kidneys and urinary tract).
As for the acute condition, this is usually the result of exposure to toxic substances or a consequence of non-compliance with the dosage of medications.
Nephroptosis
This kidney disease in children is associated with kidney mobility, that is, when it is not fixed in a certain position. In the people, this is called the omission of the kidney or the vagus organ.
The most dangerous thing is when the kidney goes down. Because of this, the risk of turning the body around its axis increases significantly. Such a torsion leads to distension and kinks of blood vessels, which in turn threatens a violation of the blood circulation of the kidneys.
By virtue of again female physiology, girls are more at risk than boys.
High urine salts
When a child's metabolic process is disturbed in the body, in most cases the number of salt crystals in the urine increases. Often these are phosphates, urates and oxalates. But, in addition to metabolic disorders, the wrong diet of the child contributes to this, during which the kidneys can not cope with the dissolution of salt.
The concentration of oxalates in urine increases due to excessive consumption of foods rich in vitamin C and oxalic acid:
- spinach;
- beet;
- celery;
- parsley;
- sour apples;
- currant;
- radish;
- cocoa;
- chocolate;
- cottage cheese;
- broths.
Saturation with purine bases leads to an increased content of urates, which also violates the water-salt regime of children with kidney diseases. This is achieved through the use of liver, broths, pork, oily fish, sardines, tomatoes, strong tea, acidic mineral water. As for phosphates, there are many of them if the diet contains foods that are rich in phosphorus:
- cheese;
- fish;
- caviar;
- cereals (pearl barley, buckwheat, oat, millet);
- peas;
- beans;
- alkaline mineral water.
But at the same time, the changes that are taking place are temporary, and if you adjust your child’s menu in a timely manner, the composition of urine will normalize in a short time. At the same time, this problem should in no case be ignored!
In the case when the child continues to eat such food, the risk of sand or stones, increases, not only in the kidneys, but also in the bladder. And urolithiasis is a rather serious and unpleasant ailment that requires a long and complicated course of therapy.
Diagnosis of kidney disease in children
To make a diagnosis, a visual examination of the patient is carried out with the study of his medical record. After that, the doctor prescribes a number of hardware and laboratory tests:
- Urinalysis - with its help, you can determine the presence of a precipitate of salts, blood particles, red blood cells. These data will familiarize the doctor with the functioning of the urinary system of a sick child. For reliable results, urine should be collected in a clean container, after thoroughly washing the child. Teenage girls should not give urine during menstruation.
- General blood test - this study will show if inflammatory reactions in the child’s body, as well as signs of general intoxication of the body, pass.
- Ultrasound of the kidneys - allows you to detect the presence of sand and stones, as well as congenital anomalies of these organs.
In some cases, a biochemical blood test, biopsy, CT scan, MRI. After listening to complaints from the parents and the child himself, the doctor makes a diagnosis, and then selects the appropriate course of treatment, based on all the history and studies.
Kidney Disease Treatment
After the diagnosis is made in the course of diagnosis and research, therapy begins. At the same time, it all depends on what the handed over analyzes show. If the disease proceeds in a mild form, then treatment can be carried out at home, otherwise only a hospital.
The use of medicines depends entirely on a number of factors: the age of the young patient, the clinical picture, the severity of the pathology. These may be such drugs:
- With the development of an infectious disease, antibiotics or uroseptics are prescribed.
- Antihypertensives as well as diuretics can lower blood pressure (if necessary).
- Nephrotic syndrome can be controlled with glucocorticosteroids.
- In the event that the cause of the problem lies in the abnormal structure of the kidneys, surgical intervention will be required.
It is worth considering that kidney disease is a danger to the child, and although it can be treated, it is difficult. During the period of treatment, parents should carefully consider the nutrition of their child. The amount of salt consumed should not exceed 5 grams per day.
In addition, diet therapy for kidney diseases in children should include the following. Meat and foods that are rich in protein should be discarded, as they greatly stress the kidneys. It’s better to pay attention to something else:
- potatoes;
- fish
- poultry meat;
- dairy products;
- eggs
- meat broths.
True, they should be consumed in limited quantities. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and berries will also be useful. There will be no harm from flour products, but this is also a source of carbohydrates. To drink food is freshly squeezed juices, fruit drinks, compotes.