Urinary neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin & #8211; A sensitive marker for urinary tract infection in children

This study included 100 children between 3 months and 5 years with suspected UTI. After parental consent, a midstream clean catch or suprapubic aspirate urine specimen was sent for culture and NGAL analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of urine NGAL as a marker of UTI were estimated. Of the 100 children evaluated, urine culture was positive in 34%. Median urine NGAL values were higher in culture-positive children than in culture-negative children (223.20 vs 13.65, P = 0.0001). Receiver operating curve analysis showed an optimal cutoff level of 27 ng/ml for urine NGAL (odds ratio, 8.2, 95% confidence interval, 3.1--22.1) correlating best with culture positivity. Sensitivity and specificity of urine NGAL estimation were significantly better (79.4% and 68.2%) when compared with urine white blood cell estimation (70.6% and 53%). Urine NGAL is a sensitive and specific marker to predict UTI in children with a cutoff level of 27 ng/ml. It may serve as a screening test for detecting simple, uncomplicated UTI in young children.
Source: Indian Journal of Nephrology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Source Type: research