Expert Reminds Parents To Routinely Check Toddler Diapers, Beware Of Acute Kidney Failure

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - Tuty Rahayu, a health expert who is also a Pediatric Consultant Pediatric Intensive Care Consultant at Pasar Rebo Hospital, Jakarta, reminded parents to routinely check the diapers worn by toddlers as an early detection step for acute kidney failure.

"What is often negligent when a child uses a baby diaper, often if it is not wet it is not replaced and forgets to check how many hours the child has urinated," she said, as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, October 27.

She said parents often just changed their children's diapers after a day of activities, so they did not know the exact number and frequency of urination for toddlers. Though the amount and frequency of urination is an important symptoms of kidney failure.

“Urine production is actually if the child is active, he should drink often. If he often drinks, he should urinate every 6 hours. So, if the child urinates between 6 to 8 hours during the day, that is a little bit, we must start to be alert, especially if the urine color is even brown," she said.

Atypical progressive acute kidney failure, which is currently increasing in cases in the country, she said, was caused by a sudden disruption of kidney filtration or filtration. The filtering function of the kidneys can be impaired if the amount of toxic substances in the body exceeds the capacity.

If the amount of toxic substances has exceeded the capacity that can be excreted by the kidneys, she said, there will be a blockage that results in the production of urine or little urination. The causes also vary, but for the current case, it has been reduced to syrup drugs containing Ethylene Glycol (EG) and Diethylene Glycol (DEG) contaminants.

"Initial signs are the first hour, for example, this child is poisoned by a certain level of Ethylene Glycol which makes him in a toxic condition, the child will start complaining, start to feel weak, continue to be fussy, get dizzy, not as usual," she said.

Then in the span of 4-12 hours after EG poisoning, the child will begin to feel complaints about urinating a little, and his breathing begins to fast until seizures occur.

"If it comes quickly, we can still handle it. But if it's been days, that's when finally the poison has settled in the kidneys and is difficult to handle. If they survive, there will be remaining poison,” said Tuty Rahayu.