[Participation in sports by children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease].

Judging a person's ability to engage in competitive sports is the task of the sports physician. However, in the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) or urinary abnormalities such as hematuria or microproteinuria, or in the event of Cakut-type congenital abnormalities a second, qualified opinion by a nephrologist may be needed. A group of pediatric nephrologists belonging to the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding their attitude towards noncompetitive sports and their opinion on whether it is appropriate for them to express their judgment on the suitability/unsuitability of competitive sports activities in children and adolescents with CKD. Regarding noncompetitive sports the nephrologists' attitude was mostly positive, with the only exception of severe CKD. There were some reservations regarding unilateral renal agenesis and kidney transplant recipients. The situation with regard to competitive sports is more complex, as the expression of a favorable opinion often depends on the outcome of a series of instrumental examinations. There are no guidelines and no evidence-based positions on this issue. In order to make the opinions more uniform, the assessment methods should be standardized so that young people with CKD will be able to benefit from sports activities not only in terms of physical performance but also socialization and personal well-being.