Childhood Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease. Children with severe obesity have an increased prevalence of early kidney abnormalities and are at high risk to develop kidney failure in adulthood. The pathophysiology of obesity-related kidney disease is incompletely understood, although the postulated mechanisms of kidney injury include hyperfiltration, adipokine dysregulation, and lipotoxic injury. An improved understanding of the long-term effects of obesity on kidney health is essential treat the growing epidemic of obesity-related kidney disease. The purpose of this article is to review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, and management of obesity-related kidney disease in children and adolescents.