What is Renal Agenesis?
A newborn with one kidney or no kidneys is said to have undergone renal agenesis. You require at least one kidney to survive, and most people have two kidneys. Congenital conditions are present from birth.
What Does The Term “Renal Agenesis” Mean?
By dissecting the phrases that describe this disease, you might be able to comprehend it better:
The medical term for kidneys is renal.
A nephrology specialist in Chennai said that An organ that fails to develop during fetal development in the uterus is medically referred to as agenesis (in utero).
What Variations Of Renal Agenesis Are There?
One might have:
- “Uni-” denotes one, as in unilateral renal agenesis. Unilateral renal agenesis is the absence of one kidney in a child. However, they can still lead everyday lives. As one kidney works harder to make up for the missing kidney, it frequently enlarges more than usual.
- Bilateral renal agenesis: The prefix “bi” denotes two. A youngster is born without ureters and kidneys (the small tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder). Additionally, the lungs are undeveloped and tiny (pulmonary hypoplasia). Potter syndrome refers to a group of related illnesses that frequently result in death.
Why Does Renal Agenesis Occur?
Many renal agenesis occurrences result from a gene alteration or mutation. At least seven related gene mutations have been found by the best kidney doctor in Chennai During the first trimester of pregnancy, the gene mutation prevents the kidneys from developing normally in the foetus.
Less frequent reasons include:
- pregnancy diabetes
- Several pregnancies (having twins, triplets or more).
- Using particular medicines when pregnant.
What Signs Might Indicate Renal Agenesis?
Potter syndrome causes the child to have undeveloped lungs and no functioning kidneys, which results in life-threatening respiratory issues shortly after birth.
One functioning kidney in a child could not cause any symptoms. When symptoms appear, they consist of the following:
- A child’s high blood pressure.
- High urine protein levels (proteinuria).
- Reflux into the ureter (backflow of urine into the ureters).
Additionally, some kids with unilateral renal agenesis have:
- Atrial septal defects (ASD) and ventricular septal defects are congenital cardiac disorders (VSD).
- Birth malformations in the urology (birth defects that affect the genitals or urinary tract).
- Anal atresia or an imperforate anus (a missing anus at the end of the digestive tract).