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The fellowship-trained, board-certified pediatric nephrologists with Norton Children’s Nephrology have the training and experience to treat children with acute kidney injuries. Our kidney specialists can work with you and your child to improve symptoms and limit damage to the kidneys.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the name for sudden kidney failure over a period of hours or days. AKI usually is a complication from another condition. It is not an injury in the sense that the kidney was hit or bruised.
AKI is different from chronic kidney disease (CKD) in that it comes on quicker, and children with AKI can recover full kidney function. For children with CKD, the kidney damage progresses over time.
Acute kidney injury can be caused by several issues, including:
Sudden reduced blood flow to the kidneys can be caused by:
Conditions that may cause damage to the kidneys can include:
Urinary tract blockages that can cause AKI in children can include kidney stones, blood clots and bladder issues.
A child with AKI may have no physical signs at first. Symptoms often will happen suddenly and grow more intense. AKI symptoms can include:
Other symptoms may occur as kidney function declines, including:
The condition can come on and progress quickly, and can be life-threatening. Call your child’s pediatrician immediately if you notice signs of kidney issues.
Treatment for AKI focuses on treating the cause of the kidney injury, as well as the child’s current health. Treatments can include:
A child may need to be monitored in a hospital for AKI. Should AKI remain undetected or treatment is unable to reverse kidney damage, dialysis and kidney transplantation may be needed. In some cases, the condition can progress to chronic kidney disease.