Chronic kidney disease in children: state of the art

Excerpt

The criteria for the definition of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children include: (a) kidney damage for >3 months, as defined by structural or functional abnormalities determined by kidney biopsy, imaging tests or composition of the blood or urine, with or without decreased GFR; and (b) GFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m² for ≥3 months, with or without the signs of kidney damage listed above [1]. The prevalence of CKD was as high as 11% in the adult population. 4.7% of the adult population from one study had a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60 ml/min (stages 3–5) [2]. Similar studies showed a higher prevalence (5.1%) of known stages 3–5 CKD in the general population, based on analysis of single serum creatinine results held on general practitioners computers [3]. The prevalence and epidemiological information on pediatric CKD is currently imprecise and flawed by methodological differences between the various data sources. The long-term survival of children with end-stage renal disease has improved in the last 25 years but the mortality is still very high, about 30 times as high as expected for age [4]. …