Profile of renal diseases in Iraqi children: A single-center report

Renal disease in hospitalized children can be difficult to diagnose early as it may exhibit few symptoms, unlike in adults. This study reports the epidemiological data, percentages and types of renal disorders in children seen at the pediatric nephrology center of the AlKadhymia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. A retrospective review of the charts of all patients, aged between one month and 14 years, who were admitted and followed-up for a period of three years from January 2009 till January 2012 were studied. The presence of renal disease based on their clinical records, laboratory tests and final diagnosis were noted. A total of 4785 children were admitted during the study period, of whom 326 renal disorders were observed in 281 children (5.8%). The affected children included 158 males (56.2%) and 123 females (43.7%). Majority of the cases were above two years of age (n = 181; 64.4%). Among them, urinary tract infection, seen in 60 patients (18.4%), was the most common renal disease, followed by nephrotic syndrome (n = 52; 15.9%), renal stone disease (n = 49; 15%), congenital malformations (n = 46; 14.1%), acute renal failure (n = 37; 11.3%), chronic renal failure (n = 22; 6.7%), glomerulonephritis (n = 16; 4.9%), isolated hematuria (n = 14; 4.2%), hypertension (n = 8; 2.4%), tubular disorders [renal tubular acidosis (n = 8; 2.4%), isolated hypercalciuria (n = 7; 2.1%), Bartter syndrome (n = 1; 0.3%)] and Wilm's tumor in six (1.8%) patients. The spectrum of renal disorders in Iraq is wide, and is similar to those reported from other developing countries with a predominance of infectious diseases.