SynthesisPediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany)2026
The value of procalcitonin and urinary NGAL in the prediction of acute pyelonephritis and kidney scarring in pediatric patients with a history of febrile urinary tract infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Personalized Medicine in Pediatric Urology: From Diagnosis to Individualized Risk Assessment.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Procalcitonin in predicting acute kidney damage in children with initial febrile urinary tract infection: a retrospective study.Translational pediatrics · 2026Article
- Urinary Secretory-IgA and IgG Responses and Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Pseudomonas aeruginosa Urinary Tract Infections.APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Biomarkers and Their Association with Kidney Scarring After the First Episode of Febrile Urinary Tract Infection or Vesicoureteral Reflux in Pediatric Patients.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
backgroundChildren with febrile urinary tract infections (fUTI), especially those with acute pyelonephritis (APN) and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), may face several complications, especially kidney scarring. Different biomarkers, such as urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) and procalcitonin (PCT), have been studied for predicting kidney scarring without the need for a DMSA scan.
objectivesThis systematic review and meta-analysis examines the role of biomarkers in pediatric patients with a history of fUTI and their prognostic value in the diagnosis of APN and prediction of kidney scarring. DATA SOURCES: A search through major databases (MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus) was conducted from inception until January 2, 2025. The mean difference (95% CI) was applied. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
resultsThe systematic review included 2300 participants from 28 studies. Procalcitonin and uNGAL were higher in individuals with scarring after a fUTI episode compared to those without scarring (p = 0.035 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In addition, PCT was higher in patients with APN compared to those with lower UTI (p < 0.0001). Finally, the good and moderate overall diagnostic accuracy (I
conclusionsThis study showed that PCT and uNGAL can detect APN and kidney scarring after fUTI. More studies should be conducted exploring the role of other biomarkers in scarring after an episode of fUTI in pediatric patients with or without VUR.
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