“My daughter's urine output throughout the day is quite low. Could this be caused by a kidney issue?”
Inspite of drinking a lot of water throughout the day, my daughter really does not urinate. Could this be kidney related?
3 Answers
Unlikely
Most likely she does not drink enough water
Dear Concerned Parent:
I understand that you are worried. A decrease in urine output is the most visible sign of acute kidney injury (AKI) in all age groups, particularly younger children. Oliguria occurs when the urine output in an infant is less than 0.5 mL/kg per hour for 24 hours or is less than 500 mL/1.73 m2 per day in older children. Anuria is defined as absence of any urine output.
However, the first thing is to determine whether it is real. Sometimes children hold their urine. It has happened several times that a parent brought the child to the emergency room for decreased urine output, and then the child had a large void while in the emergency room. The most common reason for decreased urine output is dehydration. Dehydration takes place when your body loses more fluid than you drink. The most common cause of water loss from the body is excessive sweating. There are numerous other reasons why you can dehydrated. These include fever (which increases insensible losses), diarrhea, vomiting, a stomach flu, food poisoning, and rarer conditions. There are a number of other conditions that can cause an AKI. These can only be identified with additional tests.
If you are really worried, I would recommend that you consult a physician.
Kind regards,
Guido Filler, MD, PhD, FRCPC
I understand that you are worried. A decrease in urine output is the most visible sign of acute kidney injury (AKI) in all age groups, particularly younger children. Oliguria occurs when the urine output in an infant is less than 0.5 mL/kg per hour for 24 hours or is less than 500 mL/1.73 m2 per day in older children. Anuria is defined as absence of any urine output.
However, the first thing is to determine whether it is real. Sometimes children hold their urine. It has happened several times that a parent brought the child to the emergency room for decreased urine output, and then the child had a large void while in the emergency room. The most common reason for decreased urine output is dehydration. Dehydration takes place when your body loses more fluid than you drink. The most common cause of water loss from the body is excessive sweating. There are numerous other reasons why you can dehydrated. These include fever (which increases insensible losses), diarrhea, vomiting, a stomach flu, food poisoning, and rarer conditions. There are a number of other conditions that can cause an AKI. These can only be identified with additional tests.
If you are really worried, I would recommend that you consult a physician.
Kind regards,
Guido Filler, MD, PhD, FRCPC
