Diarrhea, Common Cause Of Kidney Failure In Children – Expert

A Paediatric Nephnologist, Dr Tochi Uchenwa says, diarrhea, amongst others, is a common cause of kidney failure in children.
Stating this in a recent interview, Dr Uchenwa explained that this is because the kidney naturally makes use of fluid in the body to function properly. When the fluid in the body is lost through diarrhea, it can therefore lead to kidney failure.
According to her, “When the child has diarrhea, parents should take it seriously. Give the child Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), as prescribed, let the child take a lot of fluid to replace the water that is being lost,” she said.
Depending on the type of diarrhea, she explained further, the required medication can then be administered on the child.
Also, Dr Unchenwa, who is a Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), said that skin rashes or scabies not properly treated, could also lead to acute sore throat which is also a type of kidney problem.
“Some people have sore throat and they don’t take it serious. For children, we really have to take it serious.”
“Treat the sore throat well, otherwise they can actually cause kidney failure”, she said.
She, therefore, used the opportunity to state some dos and don’ts in such circumstance.
One of such she said is to avoid self medication through patronising chemist without doctor’s prescription.
She stated further that another thing is to avoid regular use of such painkillers as Ibuprofen, without doctor’s prescription.
“It (Ibuprofen) should not be abused because when you take them excessively it damages the kidney”, she stated.
In the same vein, Dr Uchenwa also discouraged the use of herbal medication in children, noting that, besides not knowing the dosage, the content of such herbal medication cannot also be ascertained, and hence capable of causing kidney problem.

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