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The relationship between urinary calcium, sodium, and potassium excretion in full-term healthy newborns

Ozan Ozkaya1, Necla Buyan, Ilknur Erol

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
|May 12, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This study establishes reference values for urinary calcium/creatinine (UCa/Cr) in newborns, finding significant age-related differences. These findings are crucial for accurately diagnosing kidney function in neonates.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nephrology
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Establishing reference ranges for urinary electrolytes is vital for neonatal health assessment.
  • Urinary calcium/creatinine (UCa/Cr) and electrolyte ratios are key indicators of renal function in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine reference values for UCa/Cr in healthy, breast-fed newborns.
  • To evaluate the relationships between UCa/Cr, urinary sodium/creatinine (UNa/Cr), urinary potassium/creatinine (UK/Cr), and UNa/UK ratios in neonates.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of spot urine samples from 88 healthy breast-fed infants aged 0-28 days.
  • Division of infants into two age groups: <7 days and 8-28 days.
  • Measurement of urinary calcium, sodium, potassium, and creatinine levels.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in UCa/Cr, UNa/Cr, and UK/Cr were observed between the two age groups (p<0.001).
  • Positive correlations were found between age and UCa/Cr, UNa/Cr, UK/Cr, and UNa/UK ratios (p<0.001).
  • UCa/Cr positively correlated with UNa/Cr, but not with UNa/UK.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal urinary excretion values for calcium and electrolytes vary significantly with age.
  • These age-specific reference values are essential for accurate diagnostic interpretation in early and late neonatal periods.
  • Healthy neonates exhibit a linear correlation between Na/K and UCa/Cr, differentiating them from hypercalciuric patients.

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