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Urine interlukein-8 as a diagnostic test for vesicoureteral reflux in children

A R Merrikhi1, M Keivanfar, A Gheissari

  • 1Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Isfahan Kidney Diseases Research Center, Isfahan, Iran. merrikhi@med.mui.ac.ir

JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association
|July 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Urinary Interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were assessed as a noninvasive marker for pediatric vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). While elevated in patients with VUR and urinary tract infection (UTI), IL-8 did not demonstrate satisfactory diagnostic accuracy in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Urology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common condition in children with urinary tract infections (UTIs), increasing the risk of renal damage.
  • Current diagnostic methods like voiding retrograde cystogram (VCUG) are invasive.
  • Noninvasive diagnostic tools are needed for early detection and screening, especially in siblings of affected children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate urine Interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels as a noninvasive marker for diagnosing VUR in children.
  • To assess the diagnostic performance of urine IL-8 in the absence of a recent UTI episode.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 84 children divided into three groups: UTI with VUR, VUR without UTI, and healthy controls.
  • Urine IL-8 levels were measured in all participants.
  • Statistical analysis included t-student test, chi-squared test, and ANOVA.

Main Results:

  • The mean urine IL-8 level was significantly higher in children with UTI and VUR compared to those with VUR alone and healthy controls (P = 0.039).
  • Mean age was comparable across all three groups.
  • The study found that urine IL-8 levels were elevated in the presence of VUR and UTI.

Conclusions:

  • Urinary IL-8 may offer some utility in identifying high-grade VUR.
  • However, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were not satisfactory at a cutoff of 5 pg/pmol.
  • Further research controlling for additional variables is necessary to establish urine IL-8 as a reliable diagnostic marker for VUR.
Abstract

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