| Abstract: |
Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is a disease that occurs when the kidneys fail to excrete acids into the urine, which causes a person’s blood to remain too acidic. Without proper treatment, chronic acidity of the blood leads to growth retardation, kidney stones, bone disease, and progressive renal failure. This fact sheet reviews the diagnosis, the subtypes of RTA, therapy, and current research activities in RTA. To diagnose RTA, the doctor will check the acid-base balance in samples of the patient’s blood and urine. Physicians use a three-category classification system to describe the different types of RTA. Type 1, also called classic distal RTA, is an inherited disorder associated with diseases that affect many organ systems such as the autoimmune disorders Sjögren’s syndrome and lupus erythematosus. Type 2 is called proximal RTA and occurs most frequently in children as part of a disorder called Fanconi’s syndrome; it can also occur as a side effect of treatment with ifosfamide, a drug used in chemotherapy. Type 4 is caused by another defect in the kidney tubule but is different from classic or proximal RTA because it results in high levels of potassium in the blood instead of low levels. If treated early, most people with RTA will not develop permanent kidney failure. Therefore, the goal is early recognition and adequate therapy, which will need to be maintained and monitored throughout the patient’s lifetime. The fact sheet concludes with a summary of research programs in Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) area and a brief description of the activities of the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) that provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to patients and their families, the general public, and health care professionals. Readers are referred to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org or 1–800–622–9010, the American Association of Kidney Patients at www.aakp.org or 1–800–749–2257, and the American Kidney Fund at www.kidneyfund.org or 1–800–638–8299 for more information. |