Introduction:

Vesicoureteral reflux consists of the return of urine from the bladder to the upper urinary tract due to incompetence in the ureterovesical junction.

Objective:

To clinically and epidemiologically characterize patients diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux and subsequent progressive kidney damage.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 45 patients diagnosed with vesicoureteral reflux, treated in the Urology and Nephrology clinics of José Luis Miranda Pediatric Hospital in Villa Clara, from January 2021 to December 2022. Documentary analysis of individual medical records and descriptive statistics were used. The chi-square test was applied with a statistical significance of 0.05.

Results:

Infants under one year of age (40%) and males (62.2%) were prevalent. Grades II and III vesicoureteral reflux predominated (31.1%) and in the left kidney. Patients with chronic renal failure were more frequently in grades IV (20%) and V (50%).

Conclusions:

Low-grade left-sided vesicoureteral reflux is generally diagnosed in male patients during the first year of life. Infants with high-grade vesicoureteral reflux develop scarring nephropathy and progress to chronic renal failure.