Brief Answer: Need to monitor periodically Detailed Answer: Hi Thank you for sending in your query. Unilateral absent kidney occurs in 1 in 1000 births. The good news is that such patients are often able to lead a normal healthy life if the single kidney functions normally. We need to check her blood pressure, serum creatinine and urine analysis. This will tell us about the functioning of the single kidney. If these are normal, we should monitor her renal function periodically, say once every 2 years. The following precautions have to be taken to preserve the kidney function: 1) Periodic monitoring of kidney function as advised above. 2) Avoid use of drugs which are harmful to the kidneys, like combiflam, brufen etc. Please see a Nephrologist for a complete list. 3) Treat all infections quickly, especially urinary tract infections. 4) As regards to diet, as she is a growing child, she should eat a normal diet, unless any of the tests which I mentioned are grossly abnormal. I hope this was helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have further questions. Regards Dr Bhabhe

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