Comment

Renal diseases are common in all age groups, however the widespread knowledge about their specifics in the extreme ranges of age might be not sufficiently updated, even among specialists. That is why the nephrologists working on daily basis with the youngest children and the elderly were invited to publish in this issue of “Postępy Nauk Medycznych” (“Progress in Medicine”), and share their expertise with other professionals.

Renal problems may be present from the very beginning of individual’s life. If this happened, the genetic background has been usually responsible, also in case of the nephrotic syndrome. The early proteinuria onset and the resistance to corticosteroid therapy are highly indicative of genetic mutation. The treatment of such cases is dramatically difficult, sometimes calling for as aggressive therapy as bilateral nephrectomy, followed by renal transplantation (1). The nephrotic syndrome and erythrocyturia, presenting in the elderly may be equally challenging to the nephrologists, for performing renal biopsy in these patients is sometimes not possible second to their medication or physical condition. IgA nephropathy, the most common in adults and rapidly growing glomerulopathy, is of special interest to many specialists dealing with seniors, in regard to the approaching the differential diagnosis and therapeutic options available in the elderly (2).

The acute kidney injury (AKI), which incidence is on the rise in all age groups, has poor outcome, both short and long term independent of age, and the aarly diagnosis is crucial to improving it. It is optimistic the early kidney injury markers (cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipokalin, kidney injury molecule-1, interleukin-18, liver fatty acid-binding protein), all successfully used in adults can be also applied in

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