Factores de riesgo de daño renal permanente en niños con infección del tracto urinario / Risk factors for permanent kidney damage in children with urinary tract infection

ABSTRACT

Background: In children, urinary tract infection (UTI) is a very common disease, and can cause permanent kidney damage. Aim: To determine risk factors for permanent kidney damage, in children with UTI. Patients and methods: In 337 children with UTI (237 female, mean age 4,2 years) a static renal scintigraphy was performed to assess the presence of permanent kidney damage. The history of vesicoureteral reflux and number of episodes of UTI was obtained. Results: One hundred three children had a history of one episode of infection and the rest had recurrent infections. Permanent kidney damage was observed in 161 children (48 percent). This damage was observed in 39 percent of children of less than one year of age, in 43 percent of children aged 1 to 5 years of age and in 58 percent of children older than 5 years (p=0.02). Sixty three percent of 122 children with vesicoureteral reflux had permanent kidney damage, compared with 27 percent of children without this condition (p <0.001). Likewise, damage was observed in 36 percent of children with one episode of infection and 47 percent of children with recurrent infections (p <0.01). No gender differences were observed. Conclusions: Vesicoureteral reflux, recurrence of UTI and age are associated with permanent renal damage in children with UTI