title: Clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications of chronic kidney disease in children: the Taiwan Pediatric Renal Collaborative study.
abstract: Little information is available regarding the clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in early disease stages. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and prevalence of complications in children with predialytic CKD.
  
  
  
  This multicenter, cross-sectional study enrolled children at all stages of predialytic CKD. Children who were between the ages of 1 year and 18 years and who fulfilled the clinical criteria of CKD were included in the study. Baseline demographic data, previous history, clinical characteristics, and laboratory data were collected.
  
  
  
  A total of 757 children were included in the study. The median age at the time of enrollment was 10.6 years; 397 patients (52.4 %) were males. A total of 39.0 % of the patients were in CKD stage 1, 37.6 % were in stage 2, 14.8 % were in stage 3, 3.0 % were in stage 4, and 5.5 % were in stage 5. Nonglomerular renal diseases were the primary cause of CKD, comprising 51.9 % of the patients with CKD. The age at disease onset, gender, CKD stage distribution, and proportion of co-morbidities varied between the glomerular and nonglomerular CKD cases. Anemia, hyperlipidemia, hypocalcemia, and hyperphosphatemia were more prevalent in patients with glomerular CKD. The overall prevalence of complications was as follows: uncontrolled blood pressure, 44.1 %; anemia, 34.2 %; hyperlipidemia, 44.9 %; short stature, 10.3 %; and failure to thrive, 8.2 %. Uncontrolled blood pressure (BP), anemia, and hyperlipidemia were common, even in the early CKD stages. The prevalence of CKD complications generally increased with the worsening stage of CKD.
  
  
  
  This study reveals differences in CKD etiology and prevalence of specific complications according to the stage of CKD. Early recognition and awareness of complications are mandatory for clinicians during the follow-up visits of children with CKD.
authors: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.|Department of Applied Life Science & Health, College of Human Ecology, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors: Hsin-Hsu
authors: HH
authors: Chou
authors: Clinical Immunological Center, Medical College and Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors: Ching-Yuang
authors: CY
authors: Lin
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors: Yee-Hsuan
authors: YH
authors: Chiou
authors: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors: You-Lin
authors: YL
authors: Tain
authors: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors: Yi-Fan
authors: YF
authors: Wang
authors: Division of Pediatric Immunology and Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, and Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Hsin-Hui
authors: HH
authors: Wang
authors: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan. yuanyow@mail.ncku.edu.tw.|Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 138 Sheng-Li Road, Tainan, 704, Taiwan. yuanyow@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
authors: Yuan-Yow
authors: YY
authors: Chiou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Children; Chronic kidney diseases; Clinical characteristics; Etiology; Prevalence of complications