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Home › Articles › General Health › Kidney Reflux in Infants

Kidney Reflux in Infants

It's Treatable – and Curable!

By Melissa Granberry

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Seven months pregnant with my third child, I nonchalantly walked into my OB/GYN's office for a routine sonogram. I expected to hear wonderful words about my healthy, unborn child. Instead, I stumbled out of the doctor's office, reeling from the news my husband and I had received. Our baby had kidney problems.

My eyes began to water as I looked at the words the nurse scribbled on a prescription pad: kidney reflux, posterior urethral valves, multicystic kidney. What did they mean? I thought reflux had to do with projectile spit-up. And posterior urethral valves? I had no clue. Anything with the word "cyst" could not be good news. How worried should I be? Would our child lose his kidney? Be on dialysis?

Like many parents, my mind fast-forwarded to the "worst-case scenario" questions. But with a little education from doctors and the Internet, my anxiety was replaced with joy and anticipation of the birth of our son.

Kidney Reflux 101
Since the only reflux I was aware of had to do with spitting up, I took a quick course in how the human urinary tract system worked. If everything is functioning correctly, urine will flow from the kidneys through the ureters and into the bladder. Sometimes, a valve joining the ureter and bladder does not develop properly, causing the urine to back up (reflux) from the bladder. This condition is called vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Posterior urethral valves or other obstructions may also cause or contribute to the problem.

Not all reflux is caused by abnormalities in the urinary tract. Voiding dysfunction – not urinating frequently enough or "holding it" – can lead to urinary tract infections (UTIs) and reflux. Those of us with recently potty-trained children (especially boys) know too well that kids will dance around while holding their pants, not wanting to take time out of their busy schedule for a bathroom break. The high pressure that builds up can lead to problems.

Dr. Barry Kogan, the National Kidney Foundation's spokesperson for the Pediatric Nephrology/Urology Committee, says that there is good possibility children will outgrow this type of reflux. "It is important, however, to retrain your child to void more normally," he says. "This can be done in mild cases by encouraging your child to void frequently on a time schedule. In more severe cases, medication or even biofeedback treatments may be needed."

Diagnosing the Problem

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