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Kidney disease in children: the signs, the causes, the treatment, and school
For anyone looking after a child who was just told they have kidney disease, or whose child has swelling, foamy or pink urine, pees much more or less, or wets the bed again. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says kidney disease is not common in children, that many have few or no symptoms early on, and that with treatment and support a child can go to school, have friends, play sports, and live a full life. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: what it is, which children get it and the causes; the signs and what it can lead to; the tests and the kidney doctor for children; the kinds of medicine, dialysis and transplant; and home, school, friends and feelings. It builds the words to say and the questions to ask, and prints a card to keep in your wallet.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- Your child has trouble breathing, has a seizure, is very hard to wake, or faints? Call 911 (ours). NIDDK says acute kidney injury can be life-threatening if left untreated.
- Your child pees very little or not at all, or the swelling comes on fast? Get care right away; if you cannot reach the provider, go to the emergency room, and say your child has kidney disease (ours).
- A sign of infection during peritoneal dialysis? NIDDK says to report it to the provider immediately.
- Worn down, or thinking of ending your life? You, or your child: call or text 988, any hour (ours).
More help
- The kidneys, on this site: Kidney disease · Nephrotic syndrome · One kidney · Glomerular disease · Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page.
- A child’s health: A child’s health: find the right page · A child’s bladder infection · When a child wets the bed · Getting ready for a kidney biopsy.
- School: Help at school · Letters to the school.
- Related: My medicines list · Get ready for your appointment · Caring for someone.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · Rides to medical care · Medical bills.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
Looking after a baby or child? The pages on this site for a baby or child, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 18, 2026 on two NIDDK (NIH) pages, Kidney Disease in Children (last reviewed August 2022) and Helping Your Child Adapt to Life with Chronic Kidney Disease (last reviewed February 2023), both in English and in Spanish. The numbers (birth defects cause nearly 60% of childhood chronic kidney disease in the U.S.; diseases of the glomeruli about 45% in children over 12; Black children in North America two to three times more likely; about one-third of kidneys transplanted into children from living donors) are NIDDK’s. Ours: 911 for trouble breathing, a seizure, being very hard to wake, or fainting; getting care right away for very little or no urine or swelling that comes on fast; never stopping or changing a prescribed medicine on your own; asking for the name of the cause, about growth, vaccines, school letters and the team; 988 when it is too much; health centers when money is tight; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the references, the clinical-trial lists and the video, the guide on getting ready for work, and NIDDK’s outside links. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.