Between 1982 and 1992, 89 patients aged six months to 15 years were tr
eated for acute renal failure at the Ibn Rochd Teaching Hospital. Ther
e were 51 males (57 %) and 38 females (43 %). All patients received co
nservative treatment. Fifty-eight patients (65 %) required dialysis at
the acute phase. The dialysis technique used was peritoneal dialysis
in 22 cases (25 %) and hemodialysis in 36 (40 %). Twenty-nine patients
received emergency dialysis for severe sodium and water overload and/
or severe hyperkalemia. In the other cases, dialysis was initiated bec
ause of high blood urea and creatinine levels ; before dialysis, blood
urea exceeded 33 mmol/l (2 g/l) in every case and mean urea level was
51 mmol/l. Causes of acute renal failure included glomerulonephritis
(n = 46), hemolytic uremic syndrome (n = 12), acute interstitial nephr
itis (n = 9), urinary tract obstruction (n = 5), and renal hypoperfusi
on (n = 11) ; in six cases, no cause was identified. Mortality rate wa
s 17 %. Recovery rate was higher in the subgroup of patients without a
nuria. Outcome was favorable in 65.5 % of patients with glomerular dis
ease. Most patients in this study did not require intensive care and n
one had post-cardiac surgery or neonatal acute renal failure which are
known to carry a poor prognosis.