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Kidneys are vital important organs in humans, they remove water and other substances from the body and actively participate in metabolism. U healthy person There are two kidneys, however, there are congenital abnormalities. In the case of a complete absence of one of them or both at once in a person, kidney agenesis is called in medicine.
When there is underdevelopment of an organ that is unable to fully perform its function, then they talk about aplasia. Renal aplasia is similar in nature to the disease with agenesis, but is a less serious anomaly and is usually detected during examination for another disease. Kidneys with this pathology do not have legs and, therefore, are not able to function and secrete urine.
With agenesis - the complete absence of one of the kidneys - no rudiments of renal tissue and ureters are observed in place of the missing organ. In most cases, unilateral organ absence occurs; bilateral pathology is incompatible with life.
The absence of a right or left kidney in a child often does not manifest itself clinically; to identify the pathology you will need diagnostic examination. In addition, the following external signs should alert you:
Specific reasons for the development of agenesis have not been identified. Kidneys begin to form in the fetus in the fifth week and continue throughout pregnancy.
The main cause of pathology is congenital malformations of the fetus. The risk increases in the following cases:
There are two types of agenesis:
Bilateral renal agenesis in the fetus is quite rare. As a rule, the baby is born dead or dies during the first days of life. In such cases, termination of pregnancy at any stage is recommended.
With unilateral agenesis and aplasia, all functions are taken over by a second healthy organ, which accordingly takes on the main load and performs a greater amount of work. In addition, the ureter is usually absent. It is very rare that he is present. In this case, timely diagnosis is important.
Underdevelopment of one of the organs—renal aplasia—is considered a relatively favorable pathology compared to agenesis. Aplasia right kidney with healthy and full functioning of the left, it often does not manifest itself with specific symptoms.
This is what kidney aplasia looks like
Such pathology is rarely detected due to the lack of specific clinical manifestations. Typically diagnosed on comprehensive examination. After diagnosis, dispensary registration is required.
In this case, treatment is usually not required. Aplasia of the left kidney is often accompanied by underdevelopment nearby organs, for example, the urinary system. It is diagnosed quite rarely, in most cases in men. In the absence of complications does not require treatment, only compliance preventive measures to prevent the development bacterial infection.
Agenesis of the right kidney occurs more often than the left and is observed mainly in females. In this case, women experience deviations in the development of the uterus, vagina and appendages.
If the left organ is fully functioning, right-sided kidney agenesis does not threaten health and does not require treatment. However, in this case, constant monitoring by a doctor and regular diagnostic examinations are required. A person with this pathology must observe throughout his life strict diet and preventive measures to prevent the development of diseases.
If the left organ is unable to fully perform its work, symptoms appear during the first days of the baby’s life.
Mandatory ongoing consultation with a doctor
In this case, the child experiences the following disorders:
It is more difficult for a person to tolerate, since the right kidney is less adapted to fully perform its functions. Men are most susceptible to developing this pathology. Agenesis of the left kidney manifests itself as follows:
Treatment depends on the degree of functioning of the healthy organ. If the right organ is fully functioning, then antibacterial measures to reduce the risk of developing kidney disease or disease urinary system quite enough.
Unilateral renal agenesis does not threaten health if it is not accompanied by obvious symptoms. Constant monitoring by a urologist or nephrologist, regular diagnostic examinations and compliance with preventive measures are required.
In case of complications, concomitant diseases and obvious symptoms of the disease, lifelong antihypertensive therapy, and sometimes .
For each patient there may be individual recommendations from the attending physician. IN in rare cases disability is issued.
With unilateral agenesis, the following preventive measures must be observed:
First of all, a woman needs to take care of her health during pregnancy:
People and children who have one kidney live full lives. In case of manifestation unpleasant symptoms or painful sensations, you should contact medical assistance to avoid the development of complications.
During a mild course of the disease, symptoms may be completely absent, so it is necessary to regularly consult a doctor. Especially if the family has precedents for the appearance of pathology. Timely monitoring will help reduce negative manifestations and add the necessary color to the patient’s life.
To understand what renal aplasia is, it is necessary to understand the concept of agenesis, since this is one of its forms.
Agenesis itself - pathological condition, at which it is observed complete absence kidney or its legs, which refers to a congenital defect.
Aplasia is a failure of intrauterine development, with preservation of the ureter and blood vessels, but the kidney itself is poorly developed, looks like a rudiment, and cannot function normally.
With pathology, all functioning falls on the other kidney, resulting in an increased load.
According to statistics, kidney aplasia is diagnosed in 1 person out of 1200 other people.
A similar anomaly appears due to insufficient development of the metanephros duct.
The defect is accompanied by a normal or short ureter, and in some cases the child will not have one at all.
Agenesis and aplasia of the kidney are considered birth defects in development. Often, children with similar anomalies experience death, death can occur in the womb or immediately after birth.
In situations where the second kidney can work normally and compensates for the lack of the second part paired organ, then the disease can be diagnosed at an older age during a routine examination.
In some cases, the main symptoms of the pathology do not appear, their development is slow, so the abnormal structure can only be determined in old age.
Renal aplasia often causes kidney diseases, including:
In medicine, there are several types of defects, and the least likely person will have a lack of kidneys.
This condition is the most dangerous; a child cannot live without a paired organ, so it occurs fatal outcome immediately after birth. Much more often, newborns do not have one kidney on either side.
Knowing what it is, it is important to understand the possible causes of the formation of a birth defect.
Doctors and scientists cannot say for sure why children are born with only one kidney, but it should be noted that genetics and hereditary predisposition do not take part in the anomaly. Due to this, the defect is considered congenital.
The formation of a paired organ occurs from the 5th week of pregnancy. This process continues throughout development in the womb, making it difficult to determine the exact causes.
Kidney aplasia can be caused by several factors:
The described reasons must be taken into account by doctors during pregnancy.
In medicine, a special classification is used, which makes it possible to determine the form of the disorder:
Quite often, agenesis of the right kidney is diagnosed and predominantly females suffer from the anomaly.
Doctors hypothesize that the peculiarity lies in the greater mobility of the right kidney, as well as its smaller size.
The defect can often be identified in the first months of a child’s life. In this case, the following symptoms develop:
It is worth noting that the defect on the right may go unnoticed, but as a result of diagnosis and examination internal organs, the anomaly is determined randomly.
If we talk about right-sided kidney aplasia, the signs are almost invisible. This condition has a more favorable prognosis for the child’s life.
Provided that healthy kidney can completely compensate for the lack of a paired organ. In rare situations, with right-sided aplasia, nephropathy appears in children, high blood pressure and other diseases.
Agenesis of the left side occurs with more severe symptoms and consequences, since the main load falls on the right side.
Physiologically, the right kidney differs in size and mobility from the left. With such an anomaly, patients develop the following types of complications:
Aplasia of the left kidney is determined very rarely in medicine, only in 7% of all cases.
Quite often, this problem is complemented by poor development of other internal organs.
Left-sided aplasia is typical for men and boys, complemented by the absence of the vas deferens, as well as impaired development Bladder.
If the defect appears in girls or is diagnosed in women, then there will be additionally incomplete development of the uterine appendages, ureters, and uterine septa.
In a healthy organ, when there is an anomaly, a cyst often appears, but the tissue structure is not severely affected, and therefore is within normal limits.
Kidney aplasia always differs from agenesis in less pronounced signs and the strength of their manifestations. Often the defect passes without characteristic manifestations.
Compared to a right-sided or left-sided problem, the symptoms will be stronger if the left kidney is affected. The main ones are:
To determine pathological formation V childhood, parents should monitor for the following symptoms:
The described visual features indicate an anomalous structure, but this can only be confirmed after a comprehensive diagnosis.
The described condition does not always indicate a defect. In children with severe course anomalies, signs of severe intoxication appear as a result metabolic processes, failure of the paired organ develops.
To determine the defect, you will need to collect basic data as a result visual inspection, as well as collecting complaints and symptoms.
The doctor writes down the basic information that the patient or his parents say, as well as find out the first symptoms and the factors that provoked them.
In addition, doctors need to be aware of other abnormalities that may occur in children or adults.
Kidney aplasia should be properly distinguished by doctors from other disorders or the usual inability to function in a paired organ.
To establish an accurate diagnosis, aortography is performed; with its help, a non-functioning kidney is distinguished from aplasia. An anomaly can be determined using the following methods:
To obtain information about overall health, blood and urine tests are used, as well as urine cultures.
Treatment of the defect can only be carried out for certain indications and the person’s condition:
Often, with right-sided aplasia, no special therapy is required. Patients simply need to use proper nutrition, which allows you to reduce the load on the healthy part of the paired organ.
The diet consists of giving up:
Patients should not use sauces, especially hot ones, herbs and spices, as well as sour juices and fruits.
The use of soda, alcohol, coffee and tea is strictly prohibited. If signs of anomaly are pronounced, medications may be prescribed, including:
Left-sided aplasia also does not imply special treatment, therapy is prescribed in rare cases.
To support health and normal operation A healthy kidney requires the use of prevention rules, which do not allow infectious diseases to develop.
By increasing and controlling the state of the immune system, with one functioning kidney, people are able to live normally.
Particular attention should be paid to children who have bilateral aplasia or agenesis.
Just a few years ago, in a similar condition, a child would simply die; today medicine has the ability to save lives through kidney transplants in newborns.
The procedure is difficult and requires a quick response to select a donor. Through surgery, it is possible to restore and maintain a normal life.
In the most severe cases, a special commission assigns disability. Surgical treatment can be performed in case of very intense pain on the abnormal side, as well as the development of complications. In this case, the pathological kidney is removed along with the ureter.
In order for a child to be born without anomalies, any woman needs to prepare for pregnancy, use the rules of prevention before conception and during gestation. The basic rules are:
If a child is not immediately diagnosed with a defect, then in the future, when it is identified, it will be necessary to immediately change their lifestyle, adhering to healthy principles, adjust your diet.
If pain and other signs of anomaly develop, then self-therapy is excluded. You need to see a doctor who will give you basic recommendations.
July 19, 2017 Doctor
Congenital malformations of the urinary system include renal agenesis. The term implies the complete absence of a paired organ; the remaining kidney begins to hypertrophy in order to take over functional responsibilities. The cause of the pathology is an exogenous effect on the embryo during embryonic development.
Renal agenesis refers to the absence of one or two organs. Pathology belongs to the category of anatomical quantitative anomalies, when part of the child’s urinary system has not formed during the prenatal period.
Kidney aplasia is an anomaly that occurs with similar symptoms and having similar reasons. In the case of aplasia, the organ is presented as a rudiment in the form of a connective tissue cord, which does not have a full-fledged stalk and pelvis. Due to the lack of natural kidney structure, it is unable to function normally. In both agenesis and aplasia, the second organ compensatory takes on all the work. Due to the increased daily load, its tissues hypertrophy, the kidney increases in size.
The cause of agenesis is not a hereditary factor, only developmental anomalies during the period of intrauterine maturation. In any case, the conditions for the appearance of this type of defect can be the following factors that are activated during pregnancy:
If the expectant mother has a disease such as diabetes, the risk of pathology in the child increases significantly; the development of the fetus inside the womb is especially closely monitored.
Bilateral agenesis in the medical field is less common than unilateral agenesis, since the absence of both organs of the urinary system is incompatible with the patient’s life. Unilateral pathologies of abnormal kidney development:
These varieties birth defects little different from each other. In both cases, the remaining kidney hypertrophies, increases in size and adapts to dual function.
Agenesis of the right kidney may be misdiagnosed as aplasia. This is due to the fact that the ureter may be present and even function successfully. Wherein this pathology occurs more often, this is associated with anatomical location right kidney. The organ is located lower, it is more mobile and slightly smaller in size.
The absence of one of the organs affects the work of the other with increased load. Because of this, agenesis may often not be noticed in a newborn, and the anomaly will be detected only after some time with the help of diagnostic measures(computed tomography, ultrasound or urography).
The child may exhibit the following external signs:
Agenesis on the left side has more pronounced symptoms:
In males, agenesis is more common due to the structural features genitourinary system. Specific symptoms expressed due to the absence of a duct, which is responsible for the removal of seminal fluid and is caused by pain in groin area with ejaculation, the sacral region, sexual dysfunction (impotence) and infertility are possible.
In most cases, female agenesis is accompanied by various pathologies uterus, possible underdevelopment of the vagina or organ hypoplasia.
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If the only healthy kidney functions normally, there are no symptoms and a characteristic enlargement of the organ is observed, then doctors will not use any additional actions in order to improve the functioning of the urinary system. The nephrologist will only prescribe dynamic monitoring of the kidney’s ability to produce and excrete urine, regular urinalysis and ultrasound examination.
Also provided preventive actions, which are aimed at preserving kidney functionality:
In the absence of function of the second kidney or with severe development of agenesis, when a healthy organ cannot cope with its work, intoxication occurs with decay products and toxic substances. IN in this case hemodialysis and kidney transplantation are prescribed.
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Kidney aplasia is one of the forms of organ agenesis. Agenesis is a pathological condition due to which the kidney and its stalk (ureter and vessels) are completely absent from birth. Aplasia implies an intrauterine disorder in which the ureter and vessels are preserved, the kidney acts as an underdeveloped rudiment, unable to perform its functions. The load falls on the paired healthy organ, which hypertrophies due to the need to perform additional work.
It turned out that the incidence of the disease is 1 case in 1200 children and adults. A pathological condition develops due to the fact that the metanephros duct does not develop enough and does not grow to the metanephrogenic blastema. The defect is accompanied by a normal or shortened ureter, sometimes its complete absence is diagnosed. Agenesis and aplasia are intrauterine malformations. Often babies with these features die inside the womb or immediately after birth. If the second kidney compensates for the missing organ, the pathology can be detected by chance at an older age when examining other organs. Sometimes the signs of the disease progress very slowly, and the defect is discovered in old age.
Kidney aplasia often provokes urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, arterial hypertension. There are several types of anomalies. The rarest form is the complete absence of a paired organ. This condition is incompatible with life and leads to the death of the fetus. More often, underdevelopment of the kidney or its absence on one side is diagnosed.
The following conditions are considered to be provoking factors of pathology:
The above factors must be taken into account by the attending physician during pregnancy.
Bad habits of the mother often become a provoking factor for fetal malformations
IN medical practice There are several forms of pathology:
Agenesis of the right kidney is more common. In most cases, women suffer from the vice. Scientists suggest that this feature is observed due to the fact that the right organ is smaller, shorter and more mobile. A defect on the right side often appears from the first months of a child’s life. In this case, the following symptoms are observed:
Important! The malformation on the right side often goes unnoticed and is diagnosed accidentally.
Despite the seriousness of the disease, aplasia is often asymptomatic
With right-sided aplasia, the symptoms are less pronounced. The condition is considered more favorable for life. If the left kidney completely compensates for the absence of the right one, clinical signs may not appear at all. In rare cases, with aplasia of the right kidney, nephropathies, hypertension and some other conditions develop.
Left-sided agenesis is more severe, since the right kidney is forced to take the main load. The organ differs from the left pair in its smaller size and mobility. Symptoms of abnormalities on the left side include:
Left-sided aplasia of the organ is rarely diagnosed, the percentage among all cases of the disease is no more than 7. Often the pathology is noted against the background of underdevelopment of other organs of the anatomical space of the peritoneum. More often, this type of pathology is diagnosed in men and is accompanied by agenesis of the vas deferens, defects of the seminal vesicles, and developmental disorders of the bladder. In women, it is accompanied by underdevelopment of the uterine appendages, ureters, and uterine septa. In the right kidney, when left-sided aplasia occurs, cysts are often detected, while the structure of the organ is close to normal.
The clinical manifestations of renal aplasia differ from the symptoms of agenesis in that they are less intense. Often the pathology is asymptomatic. The signs of the defect are more pronounced in aplasia of the left kidney:
Patients with aplasia or agenesis often experience headaches and high blood pressure
The following signs help detect pathology in a child:
These signs do not always indicate the presence of a defect, but can become a signal in a pathological condition.
Important! In especially severe cases, severe intoxication with the products of one’s own metabolism and renal failure occur.
Diagnosis of pathology begins with examination of the patient and collection of anamnesis. The doctor records the patient's complaints. Under what circumstances did the first symptoms appear? Are aplasia accompanied by other anatomical abnormalities?
It is important to distinguish renal aplasia from conditions such as hypoplasia, agenesis and non-functioning organ. For diagnosis, aortography is used, with the help of which a non-functioning organ is distinguished from aplasia. Renal angiography, spiral computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging can identify the defect. To assess the condition of a healthy kidney, ultrasound and x-rays are used. To obtain information about the state of the body, the patient is prescribed general analysis blood, urine, bacteriological culture of urine sediment.
Diagnosis of pathology is carried out using ultrasound examination and other methods
Treatment measures are indicated for patients with the following conditions:
If there is a defect in the right kidney, treatment is often not required. Patients are advised to follow a diet that reduces the load on the left organ. Medical nutrition excludes fatty, spicy, fried, salty, smoked foods. The patient should avoid hot sauces, spices, and sour juices. Alcohol, carbonated drinks, strong tea and coffee are prohibited. For severe symptoms, painkillers, diuretics, and decongestants are prescribed.
For aplasia of the left organ, specific therapy is rarely carried out; more often, treatment consists of following preventive measures aimed at preventing infectious diseases. The normal functioning of a person with one kidney is ensured by maintaining immunity at the proper level.
Particular attention is paid to children with bilateral agenesis or aplasia. Early treatment no pathology was carried out, since the defect was a death sentence. Modern medicine performs successful kidney transplants among such infants. This gives the child a chance to live a normal life.
Important! In particularly severe cases of pathology, a person may be assigned a disability after a diagnosis is made and a decision is made by a medical commission.
For birth healthy baby Every woman must adhere to preventive measures during the period of bearing a child and before conceiving. These include:
If a defect is detected, the patient should adhere to a healthy lifestyle and diet. If pain and other unpleasant symptoms appear, you should not self-medicate; you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are the key to a full life for patients with kidney aplasia
Renal aplasia is a serious pathology that negatively affects the patient’s entire future life. Timely diagnosis diseases and careful attention to your health will help prevent severe consequences, lead a full life.
Variants of agenesis are also possible, in which the ureter is preserved and functions quite normally; in the absence of the ureter, the clinical manifestations of the pathology are more pronounced.
As a rule, in clinical practice there is a one-sided anomaly in completely for obvious reasons– bilateral agenesis is not compatible with life.
By clinical manifestations agenesis of the right kidney is not much different from the anomaly of the left kidney, however, there is an opinion of authoritative urologists and nephrologists that the absence of the right kidney is much more common than agenesis of the left kidney, and in females. This may be due to anatomical specifics, because the right kidney is slightly smaller, shorter and more mobile than the left; normally it should be located lower, which makes it more vulnerable. Agenesis of the right kidney can appear from the first days of birth if the left kidney is not capable of compensatory function. Symptoms of agenesis are polyuria (excessive urination), constant regurgitation, which can be classified as vomiting, total dehydration, hypertension, general intoxication and renal failure.
If the left kidney takes over the function of the missing right kidney, then agenesis of the right kidney practically does not manifest itself symptomatically and is discovered randomly. The diagnosis can be confirmed by computed tomography, ultrasound examination and urography. Also, the pediatrician, as well as parents, should be wary of excessive puffiness of the child’s face, flattened wide nose(flat bridge of the nose and wide bridge of the nose), strongly protruding frontal lobes, too low located ears, possibly deformed. Ocular hypertelorism is not specific symptom, which indicates kidney agenesis, but often accompanies it as well as an enlarged abdomen and deformed lower limbs.
If agenesis of the right kidney does not pose a threat to health and does not manifest itself with obvious pathological symptoms, as a rule, this pathology does not require special treatment, the patient is under constant supervision of a urologist and undergoes regular screening examinations. It would be helpful to follow an adequate diet and take preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing kidney diseases. If agenesis of the right kidney is accompanied by persistent renal hypertension or reverse reflux of urine from the ureters into the kidney, lifelong antihypertensive therapy is prescribed, and indications for organ transplantation are possible.
This anomaly is almost identical to agenesis of the right kidney, except that normally the left kidney should be slightly more advanced than the right. Agenesis of the left kidney is a more complicated case, since its function should be performed by the right kidney, which is more mobile and less functional by nature. In addition, there is information, however, not confirmed by global urological statistics, that agenesis of the left kidney is more often accompanied by the absence of the ureteral orifice, this applies primarily to male patients. This pathology is combined with agenesis of the seminal duct, underdevelopment of the bladder and anomaly of the seminal vesicles.
Visually pronounced agenesis of the left kidney can be determined by the same parameters as the agenesis of the right kidney, which are formed as a result of congenital intrauterine defects - oligohydramnios and fetal compression: a wide bridge of the nose, excessively wide-set eyes (hypertelorism), a typical face with Potter syndrome - a puffy face with underdeveloped chin, low-set ears, with prominent epicanthic folds.
Agenesis of the left kidney in men is more pronounced in terms of symptoms; it manifests itself in constant pain in the groin area, pain in the sacrum, difficulty with ejaculation, and often leads to impaired sexual function, impotence and infertility. The treatment required for agenesis of the left kidney depends on the degree of activity of the healthy right kidney. If the right kidney enlarges compensatoryly and functions normally, then it is only possible symptomatic treatment, including preventive antibacterial measures to reduce the risk of developing pyelonephritis or uropathology of the urinary system. A medical check-up with a nephrologist, and regular examinations of urine, blood, and ultrasound screening are also required. More severe cases of agenesis are considered an indication for kidney transplantation.
As a rule, underdevelopment of one of the kidneys is considered a relatively favorable anomaly compared to agenesis. Aplasia of the right kidney with normal functioning healthy left kidney may not appear clinical signs all life. Often, aplasia of the right kidney is diagnosed randomly during a comprehensive examination for a completely different disease. It is less often defined as possible reason persistent hypertension or nephropathology. Only one third of all patients with an underdeveloped or “wrinkled” kidney, as it is also called, are registered with a nephrologist for aplasia during their lifetime. Clinical symptoms are nonspecific and, perhaps, this explains such a rare detection of this anomaly.
Among the signs that may indirectly indicate that a person may have underdeveloped one of the kidneys are periodic complaints of nagging pain in the lower abdomen, in the lumbar region. Painful sensations are associated with the proliferation of rudimentary fibrous tissue and pinching nerve endings. Also, one of the signs may be persistent hypertension, which cannot be controlled with adequate therapy. Aplasia of the right kidney, as a rule, does not require treatment. A gentle diet is needed to reduce the risk of stress on the hypertrophied kidney, which performs a dual function. Also, for persistent hypertension, appropriate treatment is prescribed with gentle diuretics. Aplasia of the right kidney has a favorable prognosis; usually people with one kidney live a full, high-quality life.
Aplasia of the left kidney, as well as aplasia of the right kidney, is quite rare, not more than 5-7% of all patients with anomalies of the urinary system. Aplasia is often combined with underdevelopment of nearby organs, for example, with an anomaly of the bladder. It is believed that aplasia of the left kidney is most often diagnosed in males and is accompanied by underdevelopment of the lungs and genital organs. In men, aplasia of the left kidney is diagnosed along with aplasia prostate gland, testicle and vas deferens. In women - underdevelopment of the uterine appendages, ureter, aplasia of the uterus itself (bicornuate uterus), aplasia of the intrauterine septum, doubling of the vagina, and so on.
An underdeveloped kidney does not have a leg or pelvis and is not able to function and produce urine. Aplasia of the left kidney, like aplasia of the right kidney, is called urological practice solitary kidney, that is, a single kidney. This refers to only the kidney that is forced to function, compensatory to do double work.
Aplasia of the left kidney is detected randomly, since it does not manifest itself with clinically significant symptoms. Only functional changes and pain in the collateral kidney may give rise to a urological examination.
The right kidney, which is forced to perform the work of the aplastic left kidney, is usually hypertrophied, may have cysts, but most often it has completely normal structure and completely controls homeostasis.
Aplasia of the left kidney in both children and adults does not require specific treatment, with the exception of preventive measures to reduce the risk of bacterial infection in a single solitary kidney. A gentle diet, maintaining the immune system, and maximally avoiding exposure to viruses and infections ensures a completely healthy, full life a patient with one functioning kidney.