Kidney disease in childhood may have long-term impact on kidney function, suggested a longitudinal study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers noted that individuals diagnosed with kidney disease in childhood had a significantly higher risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by adulthood. In the analysis, 1,521,501 adolescents with a mean age of 17.7 prior to army recruitment were enrolled. In all, 18,592 individuals had a history of childhood kidney disease without proteinuria and with normal blood pressure (BP) and serum creatinine levels. By the end of the 30-year follow-up period, 0.75% of those with childhood kidney disease developed ESRD compared with 0.16% of those without a history of childhood kidney disease.

The findings thus suggest that people who had kidney disease as children must be followed-up throughout life, even if the condition shows apparent resolution.