Daily Hemodialysis Improves Height Gain in Children with ESRD

Daily hemodialysis favored a 0.5 gain in standard deviation scores for height in a third of children with ESRD who were followed for an average of 9.3 months. Patients did not receive growth hormone treatment. The cumulative probability of gain in height for age at 12 months was 40% in the 24-patient group receiving daily hemodialysis vs. 15% in the 26-patient group receiving concurrent conventional hemodialysis. Dialysis intensification was not a cause for treatment dropouts. The Pediatric Nephrology findingssuggest that daily hemodialysis should be considered as a treatment for selected cases, especially small children.