Volume 38, Issue 1 (1-2024)
Med J Islam Repub Iran 2024 |
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Sahar Sadr Moharerpour 
, Hasan Otukesh , Rozita Hoseini Shamsabadi , Hossein Ghorbani , Shahrbanoo Nakhaiee , Farnoosh Seirafianpour , Parsa Panahi
, Hasan Otukesh , Rozita Hoseini Shamsabadi , Hossein Ghorbani , Shahrbanoo Nakhaiee , Farnoosh Seirafianpour , Parsa Panahi
Non-Communicable Pediatric Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, & Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , drsaharsadr@gmail.com
Abstract: (158 Views)
Background: The invasive, expensive, and time-consuming nature of radiological examinations for vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) has compelled researchers to search for new markers to predict VUR. This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of serum and urine concentrations of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in predicting the existence of VUR.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved all patients with a first febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) referred to Ali Asghar Children’s Hospital. Each patient included in the study had clinical symptoms of pyelonephritis and a positive urine culture. The patients were divided into 2 groups: VUR and non-VUR. The serum and urinary NGAL levels were calculated in both groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to look for serum and urinary NGAL cut-points that differentiated the VUR group from the non-VUR group.
Results: Among the 40 children in the study, 23 belonged to the VUR group. The median age was 2.5 years (range, 0.3-8 years), and 35 patients were girls. ROC curve analysis showed that only the urinary NGAL level was significantly related to VUR. There was no association between serum NGAL levels and VUR. According to the ROC curve, a urinary NGAL level cut-off value of 15 ng/mL was likely to be diagnostic of VUR with 82.6% sensitivity and 58.8% specificity.
Conclusion: The urinary NGAL level, specifically with a cut-off value of 15 ng/mL, can indicate the existence of VUR in patients with UTI with near-acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved all patients with a first febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) referred to Ali Asghar Children’s Hospital. Each patient included in the study had clinical symptoms of pyelonephritis and a positive urine culture. The patients were divided into 2 groups: VUR and non-VUR. The serum and urinary NGAL levels were calculated in both groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to look for serum and urinary NGAL cut-points that differentiated the VUR group from the non-VUR group.
Results: Among the 40 children in the study, 23 belonged to the VUR group. The median age was 2.5 years (range, 0.3-8 years), and 35 patients were girls. ROC curve analysis showed that only the urinary NGAL level was significantly related to VUR. There was no association between serum NGAL levels and VUR. According to the ROC curve, a urinary NGAL level cut-off value of 15 ng/mL was likely to be diagnostic of VUR with 82.6% sensitivity and 58.8% specificity.
Conclusion: The urinary NGAL level, specifically with a cut-off value of 15 ng/mL, can indicate the existence of VUR in patients with UTI with near-acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity.
Keywords: Children, Diagnosis, Febrile Urinary Tract Infection, Neutrophil Gelatinase-associated lipocalin, Vesicoureteral Reflux
Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
Pediatric Nephrology
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