What Causes Kidney Diseases?
Just about every parent feels guilty when there’s a diagnosis of a kidney disease in his or her child. Doctors emphasize that, in children, these diseases typically are not the result of anything a parent did or didn’t do. In some cases, nephritis is inherited or may be the result of an infection, but more often, the cause is unknown. “Despite women taking every possible precaution during their pregnancies, [congenital abnormalities] can occur,” says Barry L. Warshaw, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. “Some disorders are genetic, but it can be recessive and you have no way of knowing that.” Repeated kidney and urinary tract infections, sickle cell anemia, lupus, high blood pressure, and diabetes can also cause kidney damage; so can a serious injury like a car accident or a major fall.
