Reference ranges for serum creatinine in infants, children and adolescents

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nephrology
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Growth and Development

Background:

• Accurate serum creatinine reference ranges are crucial for diagnosing kidney function in children.
• Existing pediatric creatinine data may not cover the full age spectrum or account for sex-based differences.
• Understanding age- and sex-related creatinine variations is essential for pediatric health assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish comprehensive reference ranges for serum creatinine in children aged 1 day to 20 years.
• To analyze the patterns of serum creatinine changes during neonatal, infant, and adolescent periods.
• To identify significant differences in serum creatinine levels based on sex and gestational age.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of serum creatinine levels from a cohort of 2110 pediatric cases.
• Stratification of data by age (neonatal, infant, child, adolescent) and sex.
• Comparison of creatinine levels between full-term and premature infants.
• Statistical analysis to determine reference intervals and significant variations.

Main Results:

• Serum creatinine levels exhibit a distinct pattern, falling during the neonatal period and subsequently increasing with age.
• The rate of creatinine decline is more rapid in full-term infants compared to premature infants.
• Significantly higher serum creatinine levels are observed in males compared to females from age 15 years upwards.

Conclusions:

• This study provides updated, age- and sex-specific reference ranges for serum creatinine in pediatric populations.
• The findings highlight critical developmental changes in renal function during childhood and adolescence.
• These reference ranges can aid clinicians in the accurate interpretation of kidney function tests in children and adolescents.