Psychological and Social Problems of Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

The chronic kidney disease patient is dealing with the medical problems caused by the disease and its limitations (physical activity, dialysis sessions, food and fluid restrictions or drug intake) and with the psychological and social problems that are developing during the disease stages (depression, anxiety or other psychological troubles, sexual problems linked to the libido, educational difficulties, relationships, low-self-esteem, social abilities, professional restriction etc). Children with chronic kidney disease are developing specific problems due to the difficulty of the age stages, to the family dependency and physical and emotional development. Survival is not enough so identifying problems, according medical, psychological, educational and social support is a must in order to improve their quality of life. Because the psychological factors are important predictions for patient outcomes, some of the reasons and consequences are presented.