A review of acute renal failure in children: incidence, etiology and outcome

We reviewed our experience of children with acute renal failure. St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK is a tertiary referral center that serves a relatively stable regional population (former Yorkshire region). It is a mixed rural and urban population providing a unique profile of the nature of the cases and workload experienced. The data is expressed as a function of age and compared against a previous era of paediatric nephrology and current adult incidence data. Over an 8-year period (1984-1991) 227 children were referred for dialysis management of acute renal failure. The yearly incidence was 0.8 per 100,000 total population. Acute renal failure in the child population was almost a fifth of the adult incidence. Age-related incidence however shows the highest incidence in the neonate/infant population and is comparable to adult data. The intensive care unit was needed for nearly half the children. For all ages hemolytic uremic syndrome was the commonest cause (45%). Surgery for congenital heart disease was predominant (63%) in the neonate group. The overall mortality was 25%. Primary renal disease accounts for only 7% of the etiologies and was the source for the majority that went on to require chronic renal replacement therapy. Acute renal failure is nearly always a secondary event in the face of other organ failure and the majority of the mortality arises from surgery for congenital heart disease. If the underlying condition is treatable: the prognosis for recovery from acute renal failure with appropriate supportive care is excellent.