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Distribution and management of the pediatric refugee population with renal replacement: A German pediatric cohort

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Abstract

With migration rising, the pediatric nephrology community is faced with challenges concerning the management of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in the pediatric refugee population. Data on the care of the pediatric refugee cohort on renal replacement therapy (RRT) is not available. A survey conducted by us in 2018 showed that the group of refugee children arriving to Germany during the years 2015–2017 accounts for approximately 20% of the total pediatric dialysis population in Germany. Provision of (medical) care for these children and their families is often hampered by psychosocial problems, cultural differences, language barriers, and administrative issues. Treating centers need to provide additional human as well as financial and logistic resources. In this educational review, we raise awareness and discuss possible challenges occurring in the treatment of refugee children with ESKD.

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Acknowledgments

Members of the German Society of Pediatric Nephrology (GPN) are the following: Heiko Billing, Rainer Büscher, Martin Feldkötter, Dieter Haffner, Matthias Hansen, Martin Holder, Bernd Hoppe, Ulrike John, Günter Klaus, Carmen Montoya, Martin Pohl, Bettina Ruckenbrod, Franz Schaefer, Monika Schimmel, Hagen Staude, Christina Taylan, Lutz Weber, Simone Wygoda

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Nephrology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Johanna Lemke, Raphael Schild & Jun Oh

  2. University Children’s Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany

    Martin Konrad

  3. Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany

    Lars Pape

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  1. Johanna Lemke
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  2. Raphael Schild
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  3. Martin Konrad
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  4. Lars Pape
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Members of the German Society of Pediatric Nephrology (GPN)

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Correspondence to Jun Oh.

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Multiple choice questions (answers follow reference list)

Multiple choice questions (answers follow reference list)

  1. 1.

    How large was the proportion of refugee children in the group of dialyzed children in Germany in the year 2017?

    1. a)

      5%

    2. b)

      22%

    3. c)

      37%

    4. d)

      12%

  1. 2.

    What are the most common countries of origin among refugee children on RRT in Germany?

    1. a)

      Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan

    2. b)

      Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia

    3. c)

      Syria, Libya, Afghanistan

    4. d)

      Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan

  1. 3.

    How large is the proportion of patients on PD in the group of ESKD patients in Syria?

    1. a)

      4%

    2. b)

      27%

    3. c)

      35%

    4. d)

      16%

  1. 4.

    According to some studies, what is the most common cause of CKD in Cameroon and Nigeria?

    1. a)

      CAKUT

    2. b)

      Tubulopathies

    3. c)

      Glomerular disease

    4. d)

      Cystic kidney disease

  1. 5.

    What percentage of the world’s population is practicing consanguinity?

    1. a)

      20%

    2. b)

      14%

    3. c)

      47%

    4. d)

      24%

1. b) 22%; 2. d) Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan; 3. a) 4%; 4. c) Glomerular disease; 5. a) 20%

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Lemke, J., Schild, R., Konrad, M. et al. Distribution and management of the pediatric refugee population with renal replacement: A German pediatric cohort. Pediatr Nephrol 36, 271–277 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04374-9

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