Transplant is the best option for kidney failure among children, say doctors

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 17

Kidney failure can have a negative impact on child’s growth and also affect his/her brain development and function, causing learning disabilities. Kidney transplant is the best option as it will not disrupt child’s normal school and social life. Nephrotic syndrome is 15 per cent more common in children than adults and kidney transplant is the best solution for this problem.

During a CME on kidney transplant in kids, Dr Vivek Anand Jha, director, nephrology, Aykai Hospital, talked about increasing incidence of the diseases of kidney in children during the recent years.

He discussed a condition of nephrotic syndrome which is 15 per cent more common in children than adults. The disease commonly affects children ranging from one and half year to six years. In this condition the kidney tissue get damaged resulting in release of too much protein into urine causing swelling of the face specially the under eye puffiness, which is followed by swelling of the entire body.

“Diseases like diabetes, bacterial and viral infections, malaria and untreated strept infections of throat and skin, even taking certain medicines can lead to a child developing nepthrotic syndrome. These children complain like blood in urine, symptoms of infection such as fever, lethargy, irritability, loss of appetite or abdominal pain, decreased urine output and sometimes increased blood pressure,” said Dr Jha.

“Parents should not feel anxious while showing child to nephrologist thanks to the advancement in the modern medical science. It can be treated by medications or kidney transplant and a child can have a healthy normal life afterwards,” Dr Jha added.

Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, director, urology and kidney transplant surgery, Aykai Hospital, while discussing about kidney transplant in children pointed out how its failure due to any reason can have a negative impact on a child’s growth, sexual maturity, bone strength and can affect brain development and function, causing social and academic learning disabilities.

Dr Aulakh said, “Having a kidney transplant is the best option, which means a child will not require dialysis, which takes up lots of time and could disrupt his/her social and school life. Children for any matter should not go through a disabling childhood specially when condition can be tackled. Parents should not feel apprehended while opting for child’s kidney transplant.”

Dr Aulakh highlighed that donors for children were often their parents and rarely siblings or other family members. “Parents are the best donors because they often have the same blood type and tissue match,” he added.

Further, informing about the transplant, he mentioned that a child older than two years of age can get an adult kidney, as long it fits in his/her body. Only following a limited post transplant precautions of not allowing the child near people who are sick, modifying lifestyle and taking timely medications gets child’s quality of life back on the track.