A case of chronic kidney disease with refractory periodic vomiting and hypertension in a pediatric patient.

Abstract

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) sometimes experience gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. In addition, hypertension and CKD are closely linked, and sustained hypertension in children is associated with the progression of CKD, leading to early cardiomyopathy and premature atherosclerosis. These symptoms substantially affect the quality of daily life of CKD patients, and particularly in children with CKD, they may cause growth retardation. Therefore, establishing effective management methods to alleviate these symptoms is very important. Here, we report a case of a male patient who was born at 34 weeks of gestation weighing 1400 g. At birth, abdominal ultrasonography displayed left multicystic dysplastic kidney. From 6 months after birth, he was frequently hospitalized owing to refractory periodic vomiting. At 9 months old, he was diagnosed as having stage 3a CKD, and at 20 months old, he presented with stage 2 high blood pressure. In Japan, the uremic toxin adsorbent AST-120 and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-I (ACE-I) are not strongly recommended for CKD patients. However, after the patient underwent combination therapy of AST-120 and ACE-I, his frequent hospitalizations for refractory periodic vomiting ceased, and his blood pressure decreased. These results indicate that AST-120 and ACE-I are effective for refractory periodic vomiting and hypertension associated with CKD. The patient's height, weight, and mental development are catching up smoothly. The cause of the patient's refractory periodic vomiting remains unclear. However, his impaired kidney function owing to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract may have caused the refractory periodic vomiting and dehydration. The production of uremic toxins in CKD patients is thought to lead to the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines into the circulation. However, our patient had low serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and his serum levels of the chemokines CX3CL1 and CCL2 decreased with age, together with improvement in his clinical course. Therefore, some specific chemokines might be diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers of CKD.