Acute kidney injury, a sudden drop in kidney function, was recorded about 10 times more often among hospitalized U.S. children in 2022 than in 1997, according to a large retrospective study in JAMA Network Open. The rate climbed from 15.7 to 168.7 per 10,000 pediatric hospital discharges, MedPage Today reported.
The rise does not necessarily mean children's kidneys are failing 10 times more often. Doctors now look for kidney injury more carefully, and part of the increase likely reflects better detection and documentation. Because the study relied on hospital records, it cannot separate a true increase from improved recognition.
