DOHA: Hamad General Hospital’s (HGH) paediatric dialysis unit has 15 patients with kidney failure. Congenital deformities are responsible for 40 percent of kidney failure in children, says an expert.
Ten children are on peritoneal dialysis, a treatment for severe chronic kidney disease, while the other five are provided with haemodialysis services, said Dr Bajes Hamad, Senior Nephrology Consultant and Head of Paediatric Kidney Dialysis Unit.
“The establishment of the unit, with its three dialysis stations, has helped families and enabled us to provide more children with our services. The healthcare team includes six consultants and specialists,” said Dr Hamad.
He said kidney failure among children has different causes compared with adults. Congenital deformities of the urinary tract, such as urinary obstruction, represent 40 percent of these causes. However, kidney failure among children may be attributed to other medical conditions, such as nephrosis, particularly the type that does not respond to treatment and may lead to kidney fibrosis.
Genetic diseases resulting from consanguineous marriages, such as kidney cysts and diseases caused by lack of certain enzymes with symptoms of deposition of salts in the kidney, may also be responsible for paediatric kidney failure.
“If a child develops complete kidney failure, we would use one of the two available types of dialysis treatments — the hemodialysis, which is more commonly used for treating kidney failure in adults, or the peritoneal dialysis.
“We usually do not resort to hemodialysis when treating children, as it causes problems when inserting the catheter into the vein to draw blood.”
He stressed the importance of being vigilant for symptoms that may indicate a kidney failure, such as rapid breathing, malnutrition, pallor, severe anaemia, bad smell of breath or sweat (urea smell), high blood pressure, or urination disorders.
Lying in his bed at the paediatric dialysis unit, 10-year-old Mohammed spends four consecutive hours four times a week connected to a dialysis machine.
Mohammad arrived in Doha six months ago, but began his kidney dialysis treatment four years ago in his home country, Iran.
His mother Samanahsays urinary retention first became a problem for him when he was seven months. This impacted his kidney functions and led to a complete kidney failure.
Mohammad has undergone a bladder surgery to fix the urethra, the urinary tract, and is awaiting leg surgery to help him walk appropriately.
The Peninsula
