On Another Vein - Diseases and Conditions Affecting Children

Whenever I come across a disease, condition or affliction, where the target is children, I can't help but to speak up as these types of conditions always are tearjerker material. I knew from prior readings that some newborns/toddlers faced such major operations as kidney, liver and heart transplants but I never knew to the extent that the medical conditions that warranted these transplants existed. So I shall start a thread or discussion about (in laymans terms -I'm no expert) on pediatric conditions which occur abnormally but have a man-made cause, which in my opinion is the worse. If you can pre-emptively repair or fix a known problem which might adversely affect the life or lives of newborns or pre-age children, I say, spare no expense. If that condition is allowed to exist and fester and a child is affected to the point of serious injury or death, I say, go after the culprit(s) with both hands and both feet. Let us discuss pediatric medicine and specifically renal diseases and pediatric nephrology.


What is Pediatric Nephrology?

Nephrology is the scientific study of the kidneys, particularly their functions and diseases and a nephrologist is a physician who specializes in the kidneys. The kidneys remove waste from the body (urine), filter toxins from the blood and help regulate the concentration of certain elements in the blood. Children whose kidneys have become seriously impaired require immediate and specialized medical care. (From
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

The various diseases of the kidneys that pediatric nephrologists treat are:

Chronic kidney failure, Congenital urologic/nephrologic disorders, hematuria, hypertension (ACE Inhibitors), in utero kidney anomalies, kidney stones, renal stone disorders, renal transplants, urinary tract infection, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, neutropenia. This information was referenced by the Mayo Clinic

It is not the suggestion that pediatric nephrologists are the causes of unnatural nephrology events or causes. They are very specialized and well trained and their area of medicinal practice usually is achieved by spending 11 years of training prior to achieving residency in this field. The causes that I refer to are injuries to the fetus during slips and falls, accidents such as auto or vehicular crashes, environmental conditions such as exposure to toxic and chemical environments during pre and post natal care and incorrect prescription of drugs with known side effects.

These are instances where the most thorough or successful personal injury attorney, medical malpractice or even product liability lawyers' services need to be utilized. To see a pregnant woman slip and fall and the fetus become injured because a pavement was not shoveled, a mopped floor was not flagged as having a slippery surface when wet or a cracked sidewalk not repaired is inexcusable. To have to relegate a newborn to a life of kidney dialysis, stones, diabetes and total or chronic kidney failure because of a preventable injury, should be prosecuted in court against the offender, so that the parents of the child can be sure that the child receives the necessary medical care, which is not inexpensive and can have a respectable quality of life.

Next Up: Ace Inhibitors - Their Use and side effects


Guide to Renal Conditions and Diseases Affecting Children