Intellectual Output of Children with Chronic Renal Failure on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to quantify the intelligence output in our pediatric population on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treatment. A total of 30 children were studied, with an age range of eight to 18 years. For evaluating a global intelligence quotient (la), the Wechsler test was applied according to their age. And, as a complement, a Bender test was also requested to deny or confirm brain damage. The Wechsler test showed an average intelligence quotient in most of the children (76.7%); a small group (16.7%) was classified as dull normal, 1 child had mild retardation, and 1 was borderline. All of them had a Bender test that did not correlate with brain damage. Most of them maintained a very high verbal la, but, when the performance la was qualified, 34% got a low score, and a certain difficulty in solving this part of the test was observed. Maybe this was influenced by chronicity of the sickness and/or the blood urea nitrogen level. In conclusion, the child's plasticity is his best quality to cope with uremia and the alterations caused by it. Therefore the idea is to consider the intelligence quotient as the capacity that the subjects have to use their own resources to cope with their environment. And, even though the neurological alterations exist, the child's plasticity helps him/her maintain a good global intelligence quotient, even though he/she is not having immediate transplantation.