Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for predicting acute pyelonephritis in infants with urinary tract infection

Abstract

Introduction Fever and elevated inflammatory markers have been used for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) in infants with urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of the study was to compare the usefulness of serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (sNGAL) with inflammatory markers for predicting APN in infants with UTI. Material and methods The prospective study included 46 infants with a first episode of UTI, divided into two groups (APN 23, lower UTI 23), according to the DMSA scan results. The following laboratory tests were performed: sNGAL, PCT, CRP, WBC, and ESR. Results Significantly elevated levels of sNGAL, PCT, CRP, and ESR were observed in infants with APN compared to those with lower UTI. Higher sNGAL, CRP, and ESR values, presence of fever, and longer duration of fever before antibiotic treatment were associated with APN [odds ratio (OR) 1.02, 1.27, 1.03, 13.46, 2.12, respectively]. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed better diagnostic profiles for sNGAL, PCT, and CRP than for ESR for predicting APN [area under the curve (AUC) 0.808, 0.819, 0.841, and 0.750, respectively]. The appropriate cut-off values of sNGAL, PCT and CRP were 100.8 ng/ml, 0.15 ng/ml, 5.3 mg/dl (all sensitivity and specificity 82.6%), and that of ESR was 40 mm/h (sensitivity 78.3%, specificity 60.9%). Conclusions sNGAL shows similar usefulness as PCT and CRP for predicting APN in infants with UTI, the diagnostic value of ESR is smaller, and WBC is not useful at all. The presence of fever and longer duration of fever are important predictors of APN in infants with UTI.

Serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for predicting anemia of inflammation in children with urinary tract infection

“…NGAL is a well-known diagnostic and prognostic marker of AKI [13][14][15] and chronic kidney disease (CKD) [16]. The clinical usefulness of NGAL has been demonstrated in systemic infections [9], including urinary tract infections (UTI) in children [17][18][19]. So far, few studies investigating the relationship between NGAL and the occurrence of anemia in systemic infections have been published [5], including only a single report in children [3].…”