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Urinary excretion of calcium, phosphate, magnesium, and uric acid in healthy infants and young children. Influence of feeding practices in early infancy

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Abstract

Background

Reference values for urinary calcium (Ca) and other solutes/creatinine (Cr) ratios in infants and young children are scarce. Its variation with type of lactation administered, breastfed (BF) or formula (F), is incompletely known.

Methods

A total of 511 spot urine samples from 136 children, aged 6 days to < 5 years, was collected. Urine was collected no fasting in infants < 18 months and first morning fasting in children aged 2.5–4 years. Urinary osmolality, Cr, urea, Ca, phosphate (P), magnesium (Mg), and uric acid (UA) were determined. Values are expressed as solute-to-Cr ratio.

Results

Urinary values were grouped according to the child’s age: 6–17 days (G1), 1–5 months (G2), 6–12 months (G3), 13–18 months (G4), and 2.5–4 years (G5). G1 was excluded; Ca/Cr and UA/Cr (95th percentile) decreased with age (G2 vs. G5) from 1.64 to 0.39 and 2.33 to 0.83 mg/mg, respectively. The P/Cr median rises significantly with age from 0.31 (G2) to 1.66 mg/mg (G5). Mg/Cr was similar in all groups (median 0.20, 95th percentile 0.37 mg/mg). Ca/Cr (95th percentile) of BF infants was 1.80 mg/mg (< 3 months) and 1.63 mg/mg (3–5 months), much higher than F infants (0.93 and 0.90 mg/mg, respectively). P/Cr and P/Ca were lower in BF infants.

Conclusions

Values for urinary Ca/Cr, P/Cr, Mg/Cr, and UA/Cr in infants and children < 5 years were updated. BF infants < 6 months showed higher Ca/Cr and lower P/Cr than F infants. New cutoff values to diagnose hypercalciuria in infants < 6 months, according to the type of lactation, are proposed.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Primary Health Centre Serrería II, Valencia, Spain

    Amelia Peris Vidal

  2. Pediatric Service, Hospital Clínico, Valencia, Spain

    Susana Ferrando Monleón, Juan Marín Serra & Jaime Fons Moreno

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Susana Ferrando Monleón, Juan Marín Serra & Roberto Hernández Marco

  4. Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology Service, Hospital Clínico, Valencia, Spain

    Carmen Quiñones-Torrelo

  5. Valencia, Spain

    Aurelio Hervás Andrés

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Contributions

A. Peris Vidal and R. Hernández contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by A. Peris Vidal and statistical analysis by R. Hernández. The first draft of the manuscript was written by A. Peris Vidal and R. Hernández, and all authors commented on the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors interpreted the data, revised the manuscript, provided intellectual content, and approved the submitted version.

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Correspondence to Amelia Peris Vidal.

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The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research of the Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, Spain.

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Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of the patients.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Peris Vidal, A., Ferrando Monleón, S., Marín Serra, J. et al. Urinary excretion of calcium, phosphate, magnesium, and uric acid in healthy infants and young children. Influence of feeding practices in early infancy. Pediatr Nephrol 39, 761–770 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-023-06145-z

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