Urine analysis screening for prediction of asymptomatic urinary abnormalities among primary school children in Sharkia Governorate

Kidney diseases develop slowly and the symptoms only appear at alate stage when the patient already has kidney failure and may even needdialysis.In children, chronic kidney disease(CKD) may be the result ofcongenital, acquired, inherited or metabolic renal disease, and theunderlying cause correlates closely with the age of the patient at the timewhen the CKD is first detected. CKD in children younger than 5 Yr ismost commonly a result of congenital abnormalities, while After 5yr of age, acquired diseases, inherited and metabolic disorders predominate.Urine analysis, a simple and inexpensive test, is the cornerstone in the evaluation of the kidney function. Serious renal diseases may be present without any symptoms. Proteinuria as well as hematuria may be the only early signs of renal disease. Also, the presence of detectable nitrites in urine has been used to diagnose urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infection is very common in children with severe consequences on the kidney function leading to chronic kidney disease and hypertension if left untreated.In recent years, a number of urine screening programs havebeen launched for the early detection of CKD, which has been provedextremely important for reducing the growing burden of CKD in bothdeveloped and developing countries .Nowadays dipsticks tests are widely used as the simplest and cheapest method for detecting urinary abnormality.There is evidence that a screening program may open the way forthe early management of these diseases , especially where treatment isalready established .