Kidney care for children in Denver

Our kidneys are vital organs. They not only clean our blood, but they also control our blood pressure, keep our bones strong and regulate fluid and electrolytes in our body. In short, our kidneys keep us healthy. That’s why it is so important to accurately diagnose and treat pediatric kidney disease.

If your child suffers from a kidney-related illness, you can trust our pediatric nephrologists to deliver high-quality care with a gentle touch. The nephrologists within the Rocky Mountain Pediatric Specialists network have advanced pediatric nephrology training and extensive experience treating children with kidney diseases and disorders, from infancy to young adulthood. With our family-centered approach, your child will get the treatment they need to live life to the fullest.

Speak to one of our pediatric kidney specialists by making an appointment today.

Pediatric kidney disorders we treat

Our pediatric kidney specialists treat a wide range of common and rare kidney disorders, including:

  • Acute kidney failure — when the kidneys suddenly can no longer filter waste from the blood
  • Alport syndrome — a genetic disease caused by thinning of the lining of the filter units in the kidneys, leading to damage of the filter units with blood and protein in the urine and loss of kidney function over time
  • Bartter syndrome — a rare genetic disorder that impairs the kidney's ability to reabsorb salt and causes an imbalance in fluid and electrolytes in the body
  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) — a decline in the kidney's ability to function over time
  • Cystinosis — a rare genetic disease where accumulation of cystine (an amino acid) in cells causes damage to the kidneys and other organs
  • Early diabetic kidney disease — injury of the kidney filter units caused by either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
  • End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) — when kidneys near their permanent loss of function and patients undergo dialysis or kidney transplantation
  • Fanconi syndrome — disorder of the kidney tubules that occurs when substances are incorrectly released into the urine instead of being reabsorbed into the bloodstream
  • Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis — a form of kidney inflammation associated with protein in the urine and risk of loss of kidney function over time
  • Gitelman syndrome — a rare defect that impairs the kidney's ability to reabsorb salt, causing an imbalance in fluid and electrolytes in the body
  • Glomerulonephritis — inflammation of the kidney filter units which can lead to abnormal kidney function, blood and protein in the urine and high blood pressure
  • Hematuria — blood in the urine
  • Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) — when the kidney's filter units are clogged by platelets and breakdown products of red blood cells, causing inflammation and damage
  • Henoch Schonlein Purpura — a systemic inflammation of blood vessels leading to inflammation of kidney filter units, high blood pressure, rash, joint pain or swelling and abdominal pain
  • Hypercalciuria — when excess calcium appears in the urine
  • Hypertension — high blood pressure, which can damage the arteries around the kidneys, preventing them from properly filtering the blood
  • IgA nephropathy — when IgA protein deposits build up in the kidney's filter units, leading to blood and sometimes protein in the urine, high blood pressure and abnormal kidney function
  • Kidney stones — small, hard "pebbles" of minerals which can settle in the kidneys or pass through the urinary tract
  • Lupus nephritis — a form of autoimmune disease where the kidneys and other organs are attacked, causing inflammation and damage to organs
  • Nephrotic syndrome — a kidney disorder when too much protein is lost into the urine, causing swelling in the body
  • Polycystic kidney disease and other cystic kidney conditions — disease (sometimes inherited) that causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidneys, potentially damaging the kidneys if the cysts get too large or too numerous
  • Post-infectious glomerulonephritis — when the kidney's tiny filter units become damaged following a bacterial or viral infection
  • Proteinuria — protein in the urine
  • Renal tubular acidosis — when the kidneys have difficulty balancing acids and bases for the body

Pediatric nephrology services

Our pediatric kidney doctors offer a wide range of services to improve your child's quality of life. Our services include:

24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)

Measuring blood pressure over a 24-hour period can give us a better picture of blood pressure control. A device can be worn during usual daily activities with a goal of obtaining more accurate blood pressure levels and eliminating falsely elevated blood pressure levels caused by the anxiety being in a doctor's office. In someone who is being treated for high blood pressure, ABPM helps us ensure the medication treatment is optimized.

Home peritoneal dialysis program

Dialysis, including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy, includes treatments designed to clean the blood and remove excess water and waste from the body in the setting of kidney failure. Peritoneal dialysis is a form commonly used in children in which the lining of the abdomen, or peritoneal membrane, is used as a filter for waste products and water to be removed from the body. A sterile solution called dialysate flows into the abdomen via a catheter and extra water and waste products cross the peritoneal membrane into the dialysate, which is then drained out via the same catheter into a waste bag. In this way these unwanted substances are removed from the body when the kidneys are not able to do this job. For some children with chronic kidney failure, peritoneal dialysis can be performed at home at night using a machine while child and family are asleep.

Kidney biopsy

A kidney biopsy is a procedure in which a tiny piece of the kidney is removed so it can be examined under a microscope. This procedure can be performed not only to diagnose a kidney problem but also to manage or treat an ongoing disease or condition. For many patients, this is a minimally invasive procedure, which decreases recovery time.

Perinatal consultation

Sometimes an ultrasound will detect a kidney or urinary tract abnormality in a developing fetus. Your obstetrician might refer you to a pediatric nephrologist for a prenatal consultation to discuss possible outcomes and treatment options.

Kidney transplantation

Our pediatric nephrologists are available for management of patients needing kidney transplantation prior to and following the kidney transplant surgery.

Partner hospital services

In order to provide our patients with the most comprehensive care, we offer additional kidney treatments through our partnership with the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center. The services offered at our affiliated hospital include:

  • Acute dialysis
  • Continuous renal replacement therapy
  • Hemodialysis
  • Inpatient consultation with recommendation on appropriate therapy
  • Peritoneal dialysis
  • Plasmapheresis