Journal of Clinical Pediatric Nephrology

Allison Prince ¹, Sreekanth Viswanathan ¹, Sharon Groh-Wargo ²

Affiliations
1 Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, US
2 MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, US

Abstract

Newborns are more susceptible to renal injury than older infants and children because of the functional and developmental immaturity of the neonatal kidney. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is often transient and part of multiorgan dysfunction especially in premature infants, but could produce long lasting damage to the developing nephrons. The advances in obstetric and neonatal care have improved the survival of the smallest premature infants and infants with renal anomalies-an increasing population at high risk for AKI with the potential for progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nutritional interventions are crucial to therapeutic treatment and optimal outcomes in both AKI and CKD in newborns. Research evidence specific to nutritional management of newborns with AKI/CKD is limited and recommendations often stem from studies in older children with AKI/CKD. This article discusses the nutritional issues surrounding AKI/CKD in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and recommendations for management based on available evidence to achieve optimal outcomes.

Keywords

Acute Kidney Injury, Chronic Kidney Disease, Newborn, Preterm Infants, Nutrition

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