The broader burden of end-stage renal disease on children and their families.

Abstract

When a child has end-stage renal disease and requires dialysis, a heavy personal and financial toll can be extracted from the caregivers and the family. Tsai et al. have demonstrated an adverse effect on the psychosocial and socioeconomic well-being of caregivers of children on chronic peritoneal dialysis. These findings raise other questions and force us to think about support for the caregiver as well as the patient.