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Renal function and kidney length in preterm infants with nephrocalcinosis: a longitudinal study

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Abstract

Renal injury in early life may lead to hypertension and renal disease in adulthood. In this prospective study, we estimated renal glomerular and tubular function and kidney length (KL) during the first 2 years of life of preterm infants with nephrocalcinosis (NC) associated with prematurity. The study cohort comprised 107 preterm children, 63 with NC and 44 control subjects without NC who were matched for gender, gestational age and birth weight. Kidney function was estimated based on measurements of serum creatinine (Scr), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), fractional excretion (FE) of sodium (Na), potassium (K), phosphate (P), magnesium (Mg) and uric acid (UA) and on the ratios of urinary Ca, oxalate (UOx) and citrate (UCit) to urinary creatinine (UCa/Ucr, UOx/Ucr and UCit/Ucr, respectively) calculated from morning urine collections. KL was measured by ultrasonography. Measurements were made at 40 weeks postmenstrual age and at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months of age. At 3 and 6 months, the NC group had higher UCa/Ucr, FEK and FEUA than the control group; at 12 months, only the UCa/Ucr and FEUA was still higher. The UCa/UCit ratio was higher in the NC group. Scr and eGFR did not differ between the groups at any time point. The NC group had a shorter KL up to 12 months of life (left kidney) or 24 months (right kidney). Based on these results, we conclude that NC in the preterm infants enrolled in our study was associated with impaired renal tubular function and a shorter KL in the first year of life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Vasileios Giapros, Constantina Tsoni, Aikaterini Drougia & Styliani Andronikou

  2. Pediatric Research Laboratory, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Anna Challa & Vasileios Cholevas

  3. Radiology Department, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Maria Argyropoulou & Frederica Papadopoulou

  4. Pediatric Nephrology Department, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

    Ekaterini Siomou

  5. University Hospital of Ioannina, P.O. Box 1186, Ioannina, 451 10, Greece

    Vasileios Giapros

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  1. Vasileios Giapros
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  2. Constantina Tsoni
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  3. Anna Challa
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  4. Vasileios Cholevas
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  5. Maria Argyropoulou
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  6. Frederica Papadopoulou
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  7. Ekaterini Siomou
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  8. Aikaterini Drougia
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  9. Styliani Andronikou
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Correspondence to Vasileios Giapros.

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Giapros, V., Tsoni, C., Challa, A. et al. Renal function and kidney length in preterm infants with nephrocalcinosis: a longitudinal study. Pediatr Nephrol 26, 1873–1880 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-011-1895-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-011-1895-9

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