Hypertension is a major risk factor of atherosclerosis which results in cardiovascular disease, and remains a major health problem worldwide. While children are more likely to have secondary hypertension, recent studies support the theory that the prevalence of essential hypertension in children and adolescents is increasing with the global epidemic of childhood obesity, and close attention is needed. Evaluation of hypertension in the pediatric age group should be guided by the age at presentation, and renal diseases must be considered in every child with hypertension, because of the prevalence of renovascular and renal parenchymal disorders as the etiology in any age group. The majority of children with chronic kidney disease are hypertensive, and many have associated end organ damage. Thus, once hypertension has been confirmed, end organ care as well as pharmacologic therapy must be continued. In renovascular hypertension, as cure could be gained with surgical/endovascular intervention, accurate diagnosis is important and it is recommended that every suspected child should undergo angiography.
Adolescent ; Angiography ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Child ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Risk Factors

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) account for more than 50% of abdominal masses found in neonates and involve about 0.5% of all pregnancies. CAKUT has a major role in renal failure, and increasing evidence suggests that certain abnormalities predispose to the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. To understand the pathogenesis of human renal anomalies, understanding the development of kidney is important. Diverse anomalies of the kidney corresponding to defects at a particular stage of development have been documented recently; however, more research is required to understand the molecular networks underlying kidney development, and such an investigation will provide a clue to the therapeutic intervention for CAKUT.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infant, Newborn ; Kidney ; Pregnancy ; Renal Insufficiency ; Urinary Tract ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

Acute renal failure is the generic term for an abrupt and sustained decrease in renal function resulting in retention of nitrogenous and non nitrogenous waste product. This may results in life threatening consequences including volume overload, hyperkalemia, and metabolic acidosis. Acute renal failure is both common and carries high mortality rate, but as it is often preventable, identification of patients at risk and and appropriate management are crucial. This review summarized the most recent information on definition, epidemiology, clinical causes and management of acute renal failure in pediatric patients.
Acidosis ; Acute Kidney Injury* ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Mortality ; Nitrogen ; Pediatrics* ; Waste Products

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the single most common infection following kidney transplantation and despite prophylactic strategies and the development of new antiviral agents, it still remains a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality. Current literature suggests that CMV infection may trigger rejection. We report a case of late CMV disease in a preemptive seropositive recipient who did not receive CMV prophylaxis. Diarrhea and abdominal cramping persisted after the administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) six months after transplantation and resulted in ileal perforation at eight months after transplantation. The boy recovered after six weeks of treatment with ganciclovir. MMF has been mooted as a risk factor for CMV infection since its introduction, and further investigations are required to confirm its role. More attention to infectious complications is necessary and serial monitoring of viral load is recommended when MMF is administered.
Antiviral Agents ; Colic ; Cytomegalovirus ; Diarrhea ; Ganciclovir ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Mycophenolic Acid ; Risk Factors ; Transplants ; Viral Load

PURPOSE: Growing data on the relationship between cytokine expression and the progression of renal diseases make these cytokines potential targets for therapeutic interventions. Weexamined the helper T1-cell- and macrophage-associated cytokines in anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibody-induced nephritis in mice and their temporal relationships with renal tissue fibrosis. METHODS: Kidneys were harvested on days 1, 3, 7, 11, and 16 after glomerulonephritis was induced with anti-GBM antibody. The progression of renal fibrosis was serially monitored to quantitate the accumulation of cortical extracellular matrix, and various cytokines were measured simultaneously. RESULTS: A single injection of anti-GBM antibody successfully produced severe crescentic glomerulonephritis. Proteinuria increased abruptly and both mesangial matrix expansion and interstitial fibrosis progressed rapidly. Cortical fibronectin and type III collagen increased continuously, reaching a peak on day 7, and the deposition of type III collagen followed the same pattern, in parallel with that of urinary transforming growth factor 1 (TGF-1) expression. Serial cytokine measurements revealed a sustained increase in interleukin (IL) 6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) from day 3, but neither IL12, IL18, nor interferon changed significantly. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed these features at the transcription level. CONCLUSION: MCP1 and IL6 correlated with the progression of renal fibrosis, with no increase in Th1- inducing cytokines. This confirms MCP1 and IL6 as attractive therapeutic targets for renal fibrosis in crescentic glomerulonephritis.
Animals ; Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease ; Autoantibodies ; Basement Membrane ; Chemokine CCL2 ; Collagen Type III ; Cytokines ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibronectins ; Fibrosis ; Glomerulonephritis ; Interferons ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-18 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Kidney ; Mice ; Nephritis ; Proteinuria ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transforming Growth Factors

PURPOSE: Regional anticoagulation with trisodium citrate for continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT) is an effective and safe method, with lower bleeding risk. However it is not widely used because of complex current protocols used to prevent anticipated metabolic derangements. We evaluated simplified regional anticoagulation protocols with ACD-A(R) solution and commercially available calcium-containing dialysis solution. METHODS: The medical records of twenty-eight patients who underwent CRRT were reviewed. Hemofilter life span according to the anticoagulation method used was compared, and laboratory findings at pre- and 48 hours post-CRRT initiation were compared in the citrate-based CRRT group. RESULTS: Of the twenty-eight patients, five patients underwent citrate-based CRRT. Hemofilter life span was 1.60+/-0.72 days, showing no significant differences with the hemofilter life span in the heparin based and LMWH based CRRT group. No patients experienced hemorrhagic complications. PT, aPTT, sodium, tCO2, iCa levels showed no difference in pre- and post-CRRT. Total calcium levels were increased. At the recommended postfilter iCa level, i.e., 0.25-0.39 mmol/L, all five patients needed increased amount of citrate infusion, and Ca infusion requirement was decreased. CONCLUSION: Simplified regional citrate anticoagulation with calcium-containing dialysate is an effective and safe method, and is not associated with increased hemofilter clotting. However, increased postfilter iCa level is recommended.
Calcium ; Child* ; Citric Acid* ; Dialysis ; Hemorrhage ; Heparin ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Renal Replacement Therapy* ; Sodium

Continous renal replacement therapy(CRRT) is becoming increasingly popular for the support of critically ill patients with acute renal failure, and the development of pump-driven volumetric-control CRRT machines with small extracorporeal volumes has lead to the widespread use of venovenous form of CRRT in pediatric field. Basic principles are diffusion and convection. CRRT is indicated in the hemodynamically unstable pediatric patients for hypervolemic anuric acute renal failure, electrolyte abnormalities, multiorgan failure, catabolic patients with increased nutritional needs and hyperammonemia, etc. To date, experiences are limited for pediatric CRRT, but current reports support that CRRT is feasible and useful in children and even infants, and the survival rate of the patients on CRRT is as same as adults. We describe the basic principles, equipments, methods and complications of CRRT, with special considerations on small children to meet the current need for CRRT.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Child ; Convection ; Critical Illness ; Diffusion ; Humans ; Hyperammonemia ; Infant ; Pediatrics* ; Renal Replacement Therapy* ; Survival Rate

Parvovirus B19(PV B19) is a nonenveloped single-stranded DNA virus that causes a wide variety of diseases ranging from benign childhood infection such as slapped-cheek rash(fifth disease) to life threatening diseases such as hydrops fetalis in fetuses or aplastic anemic crises in patients with hemolytic anemia. In immunocompromised hosts including organ transplant recipients, this infection can cause chronic anemia. Recently, the reports of cases of PV B19 infection have been increasing in transplant recipients and most reported cases of PV B19 infection-associated anemia in renal transplant recipients were successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin infusion. We experienced two cases of aplastic anemia caused by PV B19 infection in pediatric renal transplant recipients. The patients were an 8- year-old boy and 12-year-old boy who received allograft kidneys from their mothers. Anemia developed 2 weeks after transplantation and their serum was positive for PV B19 PCR. They were treated with 400 mg/kg of intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG) for 5 consecutive days. In one of the case, anemia was corrected promptly after the first 5-day course of IVIG therapy but in the other, anemia persisted but responded to the second course of IVIG therapy. One year later, the patients have normal hematocrit levels and stable renal function. These are the first cases of PV B19 infection treated successfully with IVIG in pediatric renal transplant recipients in Korea.
Allografts ; Anemia ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Child ; DNA, Single-Stranded ; Fetus ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney* ; Korea ; Male ; Mothers ; Parvovirus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transplantation ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Limited information is available on experiences of intravenous iron treatment in children. In this study, iron sucrose was administered intravenously to determine its effect, the factors predicting outcome, and safety in children on chronic dialysis. METHODS: Twenty-one children whose serum ferritin levels were less than 100 ng/mL or transferrin saturations (TSAT) were less than 20% were enrolled. In 12 children on peritoneal dialysis (PD), the drug was infused intravenously as 200 mg/m2 (< or =200 mg) at week 0, 2, 4, and 6. In 9 children on hemodialysis (HD), it was given intravenously as 8 weekly doses of 3 mg/kg (< or =100 mg) through week 0-7. RESULTS: After treatment, serum ferritin levels increased significantly in both groups, and TSAT rose significantly in PD group. However, hemoglobin level did not rise significantly in both groups. Children with baseline hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL or baseline TSAT less than 20% showed significantly higher rise of hemoglobin after intravenous iron treatment. To the contrary, those with higher baseline hemoglobin and TSAT levels displayed higher rise in serum ferritin after the treatment. Although no serious adverse event occurred, TSAT levels exceeding 50% were noted in 6 patients in PD group. CONCLUSION: This suggests that 3 mg/kg/week of intravenous iron sucrose can be used safely in children on chronic HD, but 200 mg/m2 every other week may incur excessive TSAT level in some patients on chronic PD.
Child ; Dialysis ; Ferric Compounds ; Ferritins ; Glucaric Acid ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Iron ; Morpholines ; Oxazolidinones ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Renal Dialysis ; Sucrose ; Transferrin

With the advent of hemodialysis, the success of renal transplants in the 1960s and the wide use of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis at the end of the 1970s, children with renal failure now enjoy an extended life span. As a result, several children experience renal osteodystrophy and growth retardation. Renal osteodystrophy is induced by phosphorus retention, hypocalcemia, low vitamin D levels and hyperparathyroidism. The pharmacologic interventions are used to prevent bone deformities and to normalize growth velocity. But surgical intervention is required sometimes when osteodystrophy is severe and poorly controlled. We report an eight-year-old boy with chronic renal failure who developed severe bone deformities and needed osteotomy.
Child ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Hypocalcemia ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Male ; Osteotomy ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Phosphorus ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Osteodystrophy* ; Vitamin D