image: Pediatric nephrologist Bradley Warady, M.D., of Children's Mercy Kansas City is a co-Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study, the largest study of its kind ever conducted in North America. view more
Credit: Children's Mercy Kansas City
Kansas City, Mo. - March 19, 2015 - Study results published today in the National Kidney Foundation's American Journal of Kidney Diseases provide new insights into why a child's chronic kidney disease (CKD) may worsen to kidney failure. Among nearly 500 children and adolescents with mild to moderate CKD, researchers identified factors, such as high blood pressure, protein loss from the kidneys, and anemia, that predicted disease worsening but that could be treated to ideally change the course of the disease. Pediatric nephrologist Bradley Warady, MD, of Children's Mercy Kansas City is a co-Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study, the largest study of its kind ever conducted in North America.
"These are exciting results because we identified several treatable risk factors in these patients with kidney disease," said Dr. Warady. "By intervening, we might change the long-term course of the disease by preventing kidney failure and delaying or avoiding the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation."
The multi-center, observational CKiD study has been under way for more than 10 years and has generated important results on a variety of clinical issues, including an improved means of measuring kidney function in children, blood pressure management, cardiovascular disease risk factors and health related quality of life. The rigorous study design and long-term follow-up were critical to the present results, which will aid clinical decision making and help measure the impact of future interventions.
While common in adults, chronic kidney disease is uncommon in children and challenging to treat. Children who develop end-stage renal disease have a much lower life expectancy, with age-specific mortality rates of children receiving dialysis 30 to 150 times higher than for healthy children.
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About Children's Mercy
Children's Mercy Kansas City is a non-profit, independent pediatric medical center founded in 1897. The 354-bed hospital provides care for children from birth through the age of 21, and has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals." For the third time in a row, Children's Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to fewer than seven percent of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. Its faculty of 600 pediatricians and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. For more than a century, Children's Mercy has provided the highest level of medical care to every child who passes through its doors, made possible through generous community support. For more information about Children's Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
Journal
American Journal of Kidney Diseases