Spectrum of In-patient Renal Diseases in Children "A Report from Southern Part Islamic Republic of Iran"

This survey was performed on children with renal diseases admitted to Shiraz Pediatric Nephrology Unit from October 1993 to March 2000. There was a total of 1358 children, of whom 709 (52%) were boys, with age range of 1 month to 16 years and a mean of 6.5 +/- 4.7 years. Thirty percent of children were below age of 2 years. Admission diagnosis was acute nephritis in 312 (23%) patients, urinary tract infection in 259(19.1%), nephrotic syndrome in 252 (18.6%), chronic renal failure in 202 (14.9%), urologic problems in 101 (7.5%), acute renal failure in 99 (7.3%), metabolic disorders in 47 (3.5%) and hypertension in 39 (2.9%). Acute poststreptococcal nephritis was the most common disease in the acute nephritis group. Minimal change nephrotic syndrome was the most common in the nephrotic syndrome group (64.2%). Chronic renal failure was mainly due to congenital urological malformations (46%). Acute renal failure (ARF) was caused mainly by gastroenteritis. There were six cases of ARF due to scorpion sting and 12 cases due to various malignancies and associated tumorlysis syndrome. Persistent hypertension was caused mainly by reflux nephropathy (50%). We conclude that the patterns of renal diseases found in the Iranian children were similar to those reported from other developing countries with predominance of infection related diseases.