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Procalcitonin in predicting acute kidney damage in children with initial febrile urinary tract infection: a

Wei Yang1, Jiefan Huang1, Qingzhi Li1

  • 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.

Translational Pediatrics
|July 11, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) can predict acute kidney damage in children with febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs). PCT offers superior accuracy for early detection, aiding diagnosis in hospitals lacking advanced imaging.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children, with a risk of renal scarring.
  • Early detection of acute kidney damage is crucial to prevent long-term complications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory markers for acute kidney damage in children with their first febrile UTI.
  • To compare the diagnostic accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 143 children with febrile UTI.
  • Measurement of serum CRP, white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, and procalcitonin (PCT).
  • Assessment of kidney damage using 99mTc-DMSA scintigraphy.

Main Results:

  • Both CRP and PCT were significant predictors of acute kidney damage.
  • PCT demonstrated superior predictive value (AUC 0.815) compared to CRP (AUC 0.718).
  • A PCT cutoff >0.26 ng/mL showed high sensitivity (87.1%) and specificity (69.0%).

Conclusions:

  • Inflammatory markers, especially PCT, are valuable for predicting acute kidney damage in pediatric febrile UTI.
  • PCT offers a more accurate and accessible method for early kidney damage detection in primary care settings.
  • This finding supports using PCT to identify children needing further kidney evaluation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Inflammatory markersfebrile urinary tract infection (febrile UTI)kidney damageprocalcitonin (PCT)technetium-99m labelled dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy (99mTc-DMSA scintigraphy)

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