You may hear your pediatrician and other doctors use a lot of technical terms that refer to treating kidney dysfunction and its related symptoms and illnesses. Some that you may hear include the following:
- Hypertension: higher-than-normal pressure of the blood within the vessels and arteries as measured by a blood-pressure cuff.
- Nephrotic syndrome: a condition in which there is a deficiency of the protein albumin in the blood.
- Nephritis: temporary or persistent inflammation of the kidney caused by infection or disease.
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome: a common cause of sudden, short-term kidney failure in children that can require treatment with dialysis; however, most patients do not suffer permanent kidney damage.
- Chronic kidney disease: a prolonged kidney ailment that may progress in seriousness over time.
- Acute kidney disease: a kidney ailment typically characterized by sudden onset and short duration.
- Acute renal failure: the kidneys’ sudden inability to rid the body of waste, concentrate urine, and manage electrolytes in the blood.
- End-stage renal disease: the final stage of kidney failure in which the kidneys no longer operate properly – also referred to as end-stage kidney disease, end-stage kidney failure, or end-stage renal failure.
- Hematuria: the presence of blood or blood cells in the urine as revealed by medical tests.
- Enuresis: bed-wetting
- Proteinuria: excess protein in the urine.
- Urinary tract infection: an infection occurring at any point along the urinary tract such as the kidneys, the ureters (tubes that run between the kidneys and the bladder), the bladder, or the urethra (tube that expels urine from the body).
- Kidney stones: “stones” made up of mineral salts or other compounds.
- Electrolyte imbalance: An imbalance of the acids, bases, and salts found in the blood and other bodily fluids; a common condition associated with kidney disease.
Therapies and procedures we offer for the various forms of renal disease and its related conditions include
- ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring,
- kidney biopsy,
- dialysis (peritoneal and hemodialysis), and
- continuous renal replacement therapies.
Regardless of the symptoms or conditions, at Rainbow your child will always receive the most advanced treatment delivered with the compassion, care, and expertise you expect.