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Behavioural abnormalities in children with nephrotic syndrome
Om P Mishra1, Biswanath Basu, Shashi K Upadhyay
1Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. opmpedia@yahoo.co.uk
Insights
Glucocorticoid therapy for childhood nephrotic syndrome is linked to behavioral issues. Frequent relapsers showed more problems, and higher steroid doses correlated with increased behavioral abnormalities.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Child Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Glucocorticoid therapy for nephrotic syndrome in children can cause adverse effects, including behavioral problems.
- Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) requires long-term management, often involving steroids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess behavioral changes in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome across different subgroups.
- To investigate the relationship between behavioral problems and cumulative steroid dose in these patients.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, hospital-based study involving 131 children and adolescents (1.5-15 years) with steroid-responsive INS.
- Comparison with 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls using the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist.
- Patients were sub-grouped by age and disease status (first attack, infrequent relapser, frequent relapser/steroid-dependent).
Main Results:
- Elevated mean behavioral abnormality scores were observed in most dimensions for INS patients compared to controls, excluding rule-breaking behavior.
- Children aged 1.5-5 years who were frequent relapsers or steroid-dependent exhibited the highest scores, particularly for sleep problems.
- A significant association was found between total and individual behavioral scores and the cumulative prednisolone dose.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral abnormalities are a significant concern in children with nephrotic syndrome, particularly following steroid therapy.
- Clinical practice should include monitoring and addressing behavioral issues in pediatric nephrotic syndrome patients.
- The cumulative steroid dose appears to be a contributing factor to behavioral changes.
Background:
Glucocorticoid therapy in children with nephrotic syndrome can lead to many adverse effects including behavioural problems. The present study was undertaken to assess the changes in individual behaviour among different sub-groups of patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) and also to find out the relationship, if any, between different behavioural problems with cumulative dose of steroid therapy.
Methods:
This was a prospective hospital-based study. We assessed behavioural patterns in 131 children and adolescents with steroid-responsive INS aged 1.5-15 years. Fifty healthy children matched for age and gender were included to serve as controls. The Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist was used to assess individual behaviour. Patients were sub-grouped according to age (1.5-5 and 6-15 years) and disease status (first attack before and after 12-week prednisolone, infrequent relapser, frequent relapser/steroid-dependent).
Results:
All groups had significantly elevated mean behavioural abnormality scores for dimensions assessed in both age groups, except rule-breaking behaviour. Besides sleep problems, frequent relapsers/steroid-dependent patients exhibited maximum scores in comparison to first attack and infrequent relapsers in the 1.5- to 5-year age group. Total and individual behavioural scores showed close associations with cumulative prednisolone dose in both groups.
Conclusions:
It is evident that nephrotic syndrome patients should be given due consideration in clinical practice for behavioural abnormalities especially after steroid therapy.
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