Evaluation and management of proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome in children: Recommendations from a pediatric nephrology panel established at the National Kidney Foundation Conference on Proteinuria, Albuminuria, Risk, Assessment, Detection, and Elimination (PARADE)

Objective. The development of this review article evolved from a National K idney Foundation consensus conference on recent advances in the importance of evaluating and treating proteinuria. From this conference, a series of r ecommendations for the evaluation of adults with proteinuria was published. Because specific pediatric aspects of the problem were outside the scope o f the original National Kidney Foundation publication, an ad hoc committee of 6 pediatric nephrologists who were active participants in the National K idney Foundation conference was established to provide primary care physici ans with a concise, up-to-date reference on this subject. Methods. The recommendations that are given represent the consensus opinion s of the authors. These are based on data from controlled studies in childr en when available, but many of the opinions are, by necessity, based on unc ontrolled series in children or controlled trials performed in adults, beca use controlled trials in children have not been performed to evaluate many of the treatments described. Results and Conclusions. These recommendations are intended to provide prim ary care physicians with a useful reference when they are faced with a youn g child or teenager who presents with proteinuria, whether this is mild and asymptomatic or more severe, leading to nephrotic syndrome.