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Serum vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations and renal scarring in urinary tract infections
S Kavukçu1, M Türkmen, N Sevinç
1Department of Paediatrics, Dokuz Eylül University, Medical Faculty, Inciralti, Izmir, Turkey.
Insights
This study found that while overall vitamin A levels didn't differ in children with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), higher vitamin A was linked to less severe kidney scarring. This suggests vitamin A may play a protective role in advanced renal scarring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Nutritional Science
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) can lead to renal scarring, potentially impacting kidney function.
- The role of specific nutrients, like vitamin A, in the development or progression of renal scarring is not fully understood.
- Early detection and understanding of factors influencing renal scarring are crucial for pediatric kidney health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum vitamin A and beta-carotene levels and the presence and severity of renal scarring in children with recurrent UTIs.
- To evaluate vitamin A's potential role in mitigating kidney damage following UTIs.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving children with and without renal scarring due to recurrent UTIs.
- Serum vitamin A and beta-carotene levels were measured, alongside nutritional evaluations.
- Renal scarring was assessed using technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc DMSA) scans to quantify kidney uptake differences.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in mean serum vitamin A or beta-carotene was observed between children with and without renal scarring.
- However, among children with significant renal scarring (defined by >10% difference in 99mTc DMSA uptake), a negative correlation was found between serum vitamin A levels and the magnitude of kidney uptake difference.
- Serum beta-carotene levels did not show a similar correlation with the degree of renal scarring.
Conclusions:
- Serum vitamin A concentrations show a significant inverse relationship with the severity of renal scarring, as indicated by 99mTc DMSA scan findings.
- Vitamin A may play a role in the progression or severity of renal hypoactivity in advanced stages of scarring in children with recurrent UTIs.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanism and clinical implications of this association.
Objective:
To evaluate the role of vitamin A on renal scarring in recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Design:
Twenty three children with UTIs and renal scarring (mean (SD) age 7.3 (3.9) years) and 91 children without renal scarring (6.4 (3.4) years) were studied. All the children had serum vitamin A and beta-carotene measurements and nutritional evaluation. Renal scarring was assessed by technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc DMSA) scanning. Nutritional status of all the patients was within normal limits and not different between the groups.
Results:
Mean (SD) serum vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations were not significantly different between the patients with and without renal scarring (vitamin A 53.2 (22.6)/46.8 (17.0) micrograms/dl and beta-carotene 232.3 (201.3)/272.4 (86.0) micrograms/dl respectively). However, when the patients with renal scarring and with greater than 10% difference among the DMSA uptakes of their kidneys (11 cases) were evaluated, a significant negative correlation was determined between the serum vitamin A concentrations and the magnitude of the difference in uptakes of each kidney. The same relation was not true for serum beta-carotene concentrations.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated a relation between serum vitamin A concentrations and magnitude of hypoactivity in 99mTc DMSA scanning in kidneys with advanced scarring.