Epidemiology of Pediatric End Stage Renal Disease in Southwest of Iran

Chronic kidney disease is a devastating disorder, which complicated the quality of life in affected patients. Determination the epidemiology of end stage renal disease (ESRD) seems necessary to decrease the occurrence of progressive renal damage in at risk patients. This study was performed to investigate the epidemiologic characteristics and treatment modalities of children with ESRD. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 115 children with ESRD admitted during 2020-2022 in a pediatric nephrology center in Southwest of Iran. All children were younger than 18 years and referred for renal replacement therapy (RRT). ESRD was defined as glomerular filtration rate less than 10-15 ml/min/1.73 m2 for at least 3 months. Information such as age of ESRD, gender, etiology of ESRD and type of RRT were obtained from their medical records. A total of 115 patients (53% male) were included. Mean age at the time of ESRD was 8.47 years. Males outnumbered females. The most common cause of ESRD was congenital abnormality of kidney & urinary tract (CAKUT) in 36.5% of patients, followed by hereditary disorders. The majority of patients were older than 5 years at the time of ESRD, with a significant correlation to the underlying disorder (P<0.001). Parental consanguinity was detected in 77% of patients, especially in hereditary disorders. RRT was performed in all patients, including hemodialysis in 71.3% and chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in 28.7%, respectively. In conclusion, CAKUT was the most common cause of ESRD in our patient population. was the most common cause of ESRD in our patient population. Prenatal evaluation of all fetuses along with early neonatal screening of susceptible cases is suggested for preventing practice or slowing the progression of chronic kidney disease.