Norton Children’s Nephrology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, provides nephrology care for children with kidney conditions and kidney injuries. Our kidney specialists treat everything from simple kidney conditions to complex issues such as chronic kidney disease, dialysis management, kidney failure and kidney transplantation.

When Does a Child Need to See a Kidney Specialist?

Your child’s primary care provider may refer you to see a pediatric nephrologist for conditions such as:

• Bedwetting
• Blood or protein in the urine
• Frequent urinary infections
• High blood pressure
• Kidney stones

Our board-certified pediatric nephrologists have the training and experience to care for children with these conditions as well as kidney failure and kids in need of a kidney transplant. We work with transplant surgeons to manage care following a kidney transplant.

Care for Kidney Disease

The kidneys play a critical role in our body by filtering and cleaning the blood, removing waste and toxic substances from the body. The kidneys also help control blood pressure; regulate vital electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium; and secrete hormones to maintain appropriate blood counts and support bone growth and health.

Over the past 20 years, the number of children with chronic kidney diseases has steadily increased. Congenital abnormalities of the kidneys or urinary tract, leading to blockage of urine flow, and hereditary and structural kidney diseases are common causes of chronic kidney disease in children. Symptoms can occur in infants and very young children.

Kidney disease can take a toll on a child and family. Our nephrology team consists of doctors, specialized nurse clinicians, dietitians and social workers who work together to guide families through all of the medical services needed to keep a child’s growth and lifestyle normal despite abnormalities with one of the body’s most complex organs.

Collaboration With UofL School of Medicine for your child’s care

Our providers offer highly skilled care for your child. Norton Children’s Hospital serves as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. These doctors are professors and active researchers helping to advance medical care through clinical research and education.

The Norton Children’s difference

With a 125-year presence in Louisville, Norton Children’s is a leader in pediatric care across Kentucky and Southern Indiana, providing an expanded footprint that includes:

• Norton Children’s Hospital – The region’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital and Louisville’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Norton Children’s Hospital also has one of the largest Level IV (highest level) neonatal intensive care units in the country.
• Numerous regional outpatient centers and extensive pediatrician and pediatric specialist offices throughout the area.
• Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital – The only women’s hospital in Louisville, providing care dedicated to the needs of women and children.
• Norton Children’s Medical Center – A unique regional outpatient facility designed “Just for Kids,” bringing pediatric care to northeastern Jefferson County and the surrounding area.

Norton Children’s Offers Specialized Programs and Services, Including:

• Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, and the Addison Jo Blair Cancer Care Center, which is one of the oldest oncology programs continuously accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.
• Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, a pioneer in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Norton Children’s heart transplant surgeons performed Kentucky’s first heart transplant in a newborn in 1986, making the hospital the second site in the United States for infant transplants. Norton Children’s Hospital is home to the Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
• Pediatric neurology and neurosurgery, including a Level 4 epilepsy center
• Orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation
• The Wendy Novak Diabetes Center