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Hypercalciuria in children with urinary tract symptoms
M K Fallahzadeh1, M H Fallahzadeh, A Mowla
1Nephro-urology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. fallahzadeh@gmail.com
Insights
Children with urinary symptoms, including pain and incontinence, often show elevated urinary calcium to creatinine ratio (Ca/Cr). This suggests hypercalciuria is common in pediatric urinary tract issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Urology
Background:
- Urinary tract symptoms are common in children.
- Hypercalciuria is a potential contributing factor to these symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the urinary calcium to creatinine ratio (Ca/Cr) in children presenting with various urinary symptoms.
- To assess the prevalence of hypercalciuria in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 523 children (ages 3-14) in a nephrology clinic.
- Collected fasting urine samples to measure calcium and creatinine levels.
- Compared patient Ca/Cr ratios to those of healthy Iranian children, defining hypercalciuria as Ca/Cr > 0.2 mg/mg.
Main Results:
- 166 out of 523 children (31.3%) exhibited hypercalciuria.
- Significantly higher urine Ca/Cr ratios were observed across all subgroups with urinary symptoms (P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Urinary calcium to creatinine ratio is significantly increased in children experiencing diverse urinary tract symptoms.
- Routine measurement of urinary calcium is recommended for children with unexplained urinary symptoms to identify potential hypercalciuria.
Abstract:
We performed this prospective study to determine the urinary calcium to creatinine ratio (Ca/Cr) in children with different urinary symptoms. We studied 523 children in our nephrology clinic with an age range of 3 to 14 years (mean= 8) and male to female ratio of 0.61. All the children had at least one of the urinary tract symptoms (dysuria, frequency, urgency, abdominal and/or flank pain, diurnal incontinence or enuresis), microscopic hematuria, urinary tract infection or urolithiasis. Fasting urine was collected for measuring calcium and creatinine and the results were compared to the values for the normal Iranian children. Ca/Cr ratio of more than 0.2 (mg/mg) was considered as hypercalciuria. Of all the patients, 166 (31.3%) were hypercalciuric. Urine Ca/Cr ratio was significantly higher in all the subgroups with one or more of the urinary symptoms (P< 0.001). We conclude that urine Ca/Cr ratio is significantly increased in children with all types of urinary symptoms. We recommend measuring urinary calcium in all children with urinary tract symptoms, especially if unexplained.
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