Kidney :: Even Mild Kidney Disease Harms Quality of Life

Challenging prevailing wisdom that only children with end-stage kidney disease suffer physical, emotional, social and educational setbacks related to their disease, research led by the Johns Hopkins Children?s Center shows that even mild and moderate kidney disease can cause such problems.

In a study of 111 children with mild to moderate kidney disease, researchers analyzed the link between level of kidney function, disease severity and age of onset on the one hand, and physical, emotional, psychological and school functioning on the other, all dimensions of what experts call health-related quality of life.

In the study:

? Nearly one-third of children and their parents reported poor overall quality of life.

? Nearly one-third of children reported physical pro blems, such as fatigue, low energy, and difficulty exercising or playing sports.

? Nearly half the children and parents reported problems at school, including difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and trouble keeping up with school work or missing school because of not feeling well.

?Our findings suggest that even mild and moderate declines in kidney function cause major quality-of-life problems,? says lead author Arlene Gerson, Ph.D., a kidney specialist and psychologist at the Children?s Center. ?What this means is that we should be thinking about screening these children and intervening earlier in the disease than we had thought.?

For example, children who report learning problems may benefit from help before their academic scores drop, researchers say. Children with chronic diseases currently do not qualify for special education until their academic scores decline dramatically.

The report is part of an ongoing, 57-center study funded by the National Institutes of Health, the largest ever on early kidney disease in children.


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