Overview of Dialysis and Renal (Kidney) Clinics
The kidneys perform many important functions in the body. They filter waste products from the blood and dispose of them in the urine. The kidneys also produce hormones that help the body produce red blood cells, regulate blood pressure and maintain strong bones.
The Renal Clinic at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin provides comprehensive medical care to infants, children, and adolescents with diseases and other conditions of the kidney. Physicians, nurses, a dietician and a social worker are available to help patients and their families understand and care for their kidney problem.
We offer diagnosis and treatment for:
- Daytime and/or nighttime urinary incontinence (bedwetting).
- Glomerulonephritis.
- Hematuria (blood in the urine).
- Hypertension (high blood pressure) in children, which may be treated with diet, weight control, or medications to prevent long-term complications such as kidney disease, heart disease, or strokes.
- Kidney stones, which may be caused by a number of conditions including hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, cystinuria, and frequent urinary tract infections. Discovering the cause for the stone formation is important in treating the child so stones do not reoccur. Pediatric urologists are consulted if surgical or minimally invasive (lithotripsy) stone removal is required.
- Nephrotic syndrome.
- Polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
- Proteinuria (protein in the urine).
- Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI).
- Kidney failure - acute or chronic. Acute kidney failure usually occurs suddenly and may or may not get better. Chronic kidney failure usually gets worse over a period of months or years. Chronic kidney failure may lead to end stage kidney disease where the kidneys are no longer able to do their jobs. Dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis) and kidney transplantation are therapies available to children with end stage renal disease.
In addition, the following services are offered by the Renal Program:
- Prenatal counseling for kidney abnormalities diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound such as hydronephrosis and cystic kidneys.
- Medical management of congenital conditions (conditions a child is born with) such as kidney duplication, solitary kidney, cystic kidney, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and posterior urethral valves. Coordination of care with a pediatric urologist occurs for patients who require surgery to correct their urinary tract abnormality.
- Coordinated care of kidney disease related to other conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus and diabetes.
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