Epidemiological profile of pediatric patients with acute kidney injury: A literature review

Abstract

Objective: To identify the epidemiological profile of hospitalized pediatric patients who progressed to Acute Kidney Injury.  Method: A bibliographic survey was carried out through publications in indexed journals (MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and PubMed), from 2007 to 2022, focusing on the topic in question. Results: In practically all studies, about 30% to 40% of AKI cases were due to sepsis and infection. Pediatric patients with sepsis and systemic multiorgan dysfunction had lower survival rates than those associated with other cases. Septic shock was associated with death in 62% of patients with AKI and was a risk factor for mortality. Conclusion: AKI is a severe disease, with a multifactorial etiology in many cases, and with variable mortality, which can reach more than 60% in dialysis patients. From an epidemiological point of view, there is still a significant lack of robust studies on the incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of AKI in the pediatric population.