|
|
|
|
|
|||||
Cash Counts makingcontact.org
Subscribe to the Contact a Family Directory 
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
Kidney disease
Background
Each kidney contains about one million nephrons, or filtering units, which continuously filter the blood to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. Kidney disease can result in two different sorts of problems:
Causes of kidney failure in children include:
In cystic kidney disease, fluid filled sacs, or cysts, develop in the kidney, interfering with normal kidney function. The commonest form is adult polycystic disease (see entry Polycystic Kidney disease), which is inherited as an autosomal dominant. It is a common cause of kidney failure in adults, but cysts rarely cause problems in childhood. In autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, cysts can develop before birth, leading to kidney failure in infants and children. The condition may be associated with liver problems.
Glomerulonephritis describes inflammation of the glomeruli, or filters of the kidney. Often, the cause or trigger is unknown. In haemolytic uraemic syndrome damage to the kidneys often follows infection with a bacterium called E. coli.
