Children with Chronic Kidney Disease Have a Great Health Burden: Study

Muskegon (Michigan) [US], October 24 (ANI): A new study shows that children with kidney disease with chronic illness have longer hospital stays and higher medical costs than pediatric patients hospitalized with other chronic illnesses. And may increase the risk of death.

And one of the greatest drivers of these results has been found by researchers to be the level of medical complexity faced by young patients. Many children with chronic kidney disease also have several other chronic health conditions that adversely affect their outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and difficulty growing.

“Chronic kidney disease is a lifelong health problem that puts a heavy burden on children’s lives,” said Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation, a pediatric nephrologist at Michigan Medicine CS Mott Children’s Hospital. The lead author, Dr. Zubin Modi, said. Research Center (CHEAR).

“We wanted to improve our knowledge of this high-risk population in order to better support the needs of children with chronic kidney disease. Our findings show that these patients It suggests that you have very complex health needs and you need to decide on a more effective way to provide the necessary care before, during and after admission. “

Chronic kidney disease includes long-term abnormalities in kidney structure or function that can progress to end-stage kidney disease that requires dialysis or transplantation. Children with this condition are also at risk of acute deterioration in health secondary to infections, dehydration, and side effects associated with medication.

According to findings published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, researchers analyzed national data for 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2016. Of the 6.5 million children’s hospital discharges, nearly 4% were associated with children with chronic kidney disease.

Children with chronic kidney disease spend about 30% longer in hospitals (1.8 days on average for children without chronic kidney disease, compared to 2.8 days on average), and hospital costs are nearly 60% higher (hospitalization). US $ 8,755, US $ 5,016).

Children with chronic kidney disease were also 50% more likely to die during hospitalization.

“Although data on in-hospital mortality in children with chronic illness are lacking, hospitalizations diagnosed with chronic kidney disease have higher mortality rates than hospitals diagnosed with other chronic conditions except for heart failure. Shows, “says Modi.

“The fact that these children are at increased risk of dying during hospitalization should encourage healthcare providers to scrutinize their management strategies.”

That may mean bringing in an early nephrologist if the nephrologist is not yet involved in the care of the patient. Try to avoid drugs that can worsen kidney function and other steps to improve the care of these patients.

The authors state that the high cost of hospitalized pediatric patients with end-stage kidney disease, including dialysis, transplantation, and related complications, can be comparable to hospitalized heart failure patients.

The authors state that kidney disease may be associated with more medical complexity. Causes of chronic kidney disease in children include hereditary disorders, congenital anomalies that may be part of multiple organ failure syndrome, and systemic inflammatory disease. A recent study in the United Kingdom reports that adult patients with kidney disease are medically more complex than those found in other disciplines.

“Chronic kidney disease can be a catastrophic disease with many long-term consequences,” says Modi. “Several features of chronic kidney disease that begin in childhood have a significant impact on a patient’s life through adulthood.

“We need further research to better understand the medical needs and provision of care for hospitalized children with chronic kidney disease in order to optimize their health outcomes.”