Pediatric renal problems in India.

In India, socioeconomic and geographic factors greatly influence the prevalence and outcome of renal diseases in children. The subspecialty of pediatric nephrology is only established at a few centers and adequate facilities for the management of renal problems are not widely available. The prevalence and pattern of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, congenital renal anomalies, systemic renal diseases and urinary tract infections are similar to those reported from Europe and the United States. Poststreptococcal acute glomerulonephritis is frequently seen. Henoch-Schönlein nephritis and IgA nephropathy are comparatively uncommon. Important causes of acute renal failure are dysentery with or without the hemolytic uremic syndrome, acute intravascular hemolysis in G-6-PD-deficient subjects and sepsis in infants as well as snakebite and other kinds of envenomation in coastal regions. Aortoarteritis (Takayasu's disease) is a frequent cause of hypertension. Vesical calculus disease is very common in some parts of the country. Long-term dialysis and renal transplantation have only occasionally been performed.