Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is helping young patients with kidney disease lead more normal lives, says Richard N. Fine, MD, head of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology at the UCLA Center for Health Sciences. Fine discussed the technique's pediatric use at a recent National Kidney Foundation meeting in Washington, DC.
About 700 children develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States each year. Although Fine considers the optimal treatment for such youngsters to be a successful kidney transplant, a period of dialysis, sometimes quite lengthy, is usually needed until a donor organ becomes available or in the case of graft rejection (JAMA [MEDICAL NEWS] 1983;249:1416).
In the past, children needing dialysis have usually received intermittent hemodialysis at medical centers. With this form of treatment, Fine noted, the necessary fluid and dietary restrictions may be onerous, as may the repeated needle punctures. Rehabilitation is limited by the considerable time