Kidney Reflux Disease
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Kidney reflux disease is found mainly in children who inherited it from their parents. Actually, this condition does not really originate in the kidneys. It begins in the bladder and can eventually affect the kidneys. Urine is then excreted from the bladder through an exit tube called the urethra. When someone urinates, the bladder muscle normally contracts. When this happens, the openings from the ureters into the bladder are normally squeezed shut. This forces the urine to exit through the urethra and also prevents urine from going back into the kidneys. With kidney reflux disease, the connection between the ureters and the bladder malfunctions. So when the bladder contracts during urination, the openings from the ureters into the bladder do not squeeze shut. This allows urine to go back up toward the kidneys as well as down through the urethra when the bladder muscle contracts. Medically, this condition is known as vesicoureteral reflux. Kidney reflux (vesicoureteral reflux) can cause serious problems. When urine is forced back through the ureters and upwards into the kidneys, it puts pressure on the kidneys. Over time this pressure can damage both the ureters and the kidneys, causing them to dilate (become wider) and eventually lead to impaired kidney function. Additionally, the urine that goes backwards into the ureters quickly returns to the bladder. Consequently, any bacteria which may have been in that urine re-enters the bladder and can cause infection. The complete emptying of the bladder is a major defence against infection. Children with kidney reflux are likely to get bladder infections more easily. If the bladder becomes infected it is possible for the urine that goes backward, to carry the infection, found in the bladder, up to the kidneys. This can result in serious kidney diseases such as pyelonephritis (inflammation of the kidney). This condition is caused by bacterial infection and can result in extensive kidney damage.
Symptoms The damage done by kidney reflux is often undetected (especially in the early stages). One of the first indications of this disease is urinary tract infection. A medical professional would usually check for the disease after a urinary tract infection.Other symptoms could include:
Treatment Kidney reflux disease is classified into five stages... grades I to grades V. Most children with grades I and II, are completely healed of the disease as they grow. The disease normally heals on its own, by the time the child reaches the age of 6 or 7 years. Such spontaneous resolution of this disease is less common in children with grade III to grade V.The great majority of children with reflux outgrow this over the course of several years. If infection occurs it could seriously affect the kidneys and bladder. Treatment would normally involve antibiotics, in order to prevent infections. Sometimes surgery is necessary to correct the reflux. Treatment of kidney reflux disease depends on the age of the child and the nature of the reflux.
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