In our division, all patient services are provided by experienced faculty members and staff, each of whom is known worldwide. Approximately 9,000-10,000 outpatients are seen in our outpatient clinics every year (9,600 patients in 2017). In addition to the outpatient examination rooms, our division has a separate outpatient unit where we care for kidney transplant and dialysis patients. We also have a Nephrogenetics laboratory, where we investigate the genetics of nephrological diseases and which serves all of Turkey and abroad (www.nephrogenetics.hacettepe.edu.tr).
Our division also provides hemodialysis to patients with chronic kidney failure and follows them over the long term. The equipment used in the hemodialysis center is state of the art and is operated by our experienced nurses and technicians.
Ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is one of the most important innovations of recent years; it has made it possible for children with chronic kidney failure to continue their dialysis without disrupting school and social life. More importantly, it has freed children from the kidney failure diet and helped them grow and develop in a healthier way. In our division, with the help of a specially trained nurse, our specialist physicians follow ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients in a dedicated assessment room and provide the necessary training to patients. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are bridging treatments; the most suitable treatment for chronic kidney failure is kidney transplantation. In our department, patients are prepared for kidney transplantation and are followed up after transplantation. The first successful living-donor kidney transplant in a child in our country was performed at Hacettepe in 1975 by Prof. Dr. M. Haberal, on a patient followed by our department.
Our division also performs kidney biopsies for diagnostic and follow-up purposes, which are evaluated with the most advanced methods by expert pathologists.
Kidney and urinary tract diseases and hypertension in childhood are much more common than is thought. Our division provides outpatient services for these conditions and, when necessary, patients are admitted to our wards for follow-up. The diseases followed in our department are listed below:
• Urinary tract infection
• Protein or blood in the urine
• Cystinosis, renal tubular acidosis, Bartter syndrome, Gitelman syndrome and other tubular diseases
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Nephrotic syndrome
• Glomerulonephritis
• Kidney involvement in vasculitides (Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus nephritis, etc.)
• Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary system (vesicoureteral reflux, posterior urethral valve, hydronephrosis, kidney cysts, etc.)
• Kidney stones
• Voiding disorders (daytime/nighttime urinary incontinence)
• Hypertension
• Acute kidney failure (peritoneal dialysis/hemodialysis)
• Chronic kidney failure (peritoneal dialysis/hemodialysis)