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Aim: To assess the prevalence and determinants of failure to thrive (FTT) among patients with vesico‐ureteral reflux (VUR) and evaluating the effects of supplementation on growth in patients with urinary solute losses. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 1277 patients with VUR (mean age at diagnosis = 6.5 months). Patients with FTT were screened for renal tubular function impairment (TFI). If fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) >2% or blood bicarbonate <20 mmol/L, supplementation was provided. Results: Among 1277 patients, 56 (4.4%) had FTT. Of these, 42 (75%) presented extrarenal causes of FTT, 3 (5.4%) had chronic kidney disease (CKD), 9 (16.1%) had TFI, and 2 (3.5%) had CKD and TFI. FTT occurred in 8/208 patients (3.8%) with and in 48/1069 patients (4.5%) without (p = 0.68) recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). At multiple logistic regression, birthweight <10th percentile, preterm birth, TFI, identified or suspected syndromes and other diseases were predictors of FTT. Eleven (19.6%) patients with FTT had TFI; five with increased FENa and/or acidosis received supplementation and showed catch‐up growth. The remaining six patients exhibited spontaneous catch‐up growth. Conclusion: FTT was found in <5% of children with VUR. It was not determined by recurrent UTIs and was mainly associated with extrarenal causes. Supplementation with sodium and bicarbonates could be useful in selected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine (i) prevalence and the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in children hospitalised for febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) and (ii) role of AKI as indicator of an underlying VUR. AKI, in fact, is favoured by a reduced nephron mass, often associated to VUR. Methods: This retrospective Italian multicentre study enrolled children aged 18 years or younger (median age = 0.5 years) discharged with a primary diagnosis of fUTI. AKI was defined using Kidney Disease/Improving Global Outcomes serum creatinine criteria. Results: Of 849 children hospitalised for fUTI (44.2% females, median age 0.5 years; IQR = 1.8), 124 (14.6%) developed AKI. AKI prevalence rose to 30% in the presence of underlying congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). The strongest AKI predictors were presence of CAKUT (OR = 7.5; 95%CI: 3.8–15.2; p = 9.4e‐09) and neutrophils levels (OR = 1.13; 95%CI: 1.08–1.2; p = 6.8e‐07). At multiple logistic regression analysis, AKI during fUTI episode was a significant indicator of VUR (OR = 3.4; 95%CI: 1.7–6.9; p = 0.001) despite correction for the diagnostic covariates usually used to assess the risk of VUR after the first fUTI episode. Moreover, AKI showed the best positive likelihood ratio, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and specificity for VUR. Conclusion: AKI occurs in 14.6% of children hospitalised for fUTI and is a significant indicator of VUR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study assessed the prevalence of wrongly diagnosed non-febrile urinary tract infections in patients who had not been toilet trained and presented with poor feeding and, or, failure to thrive. The diagnostic value of these signs in predicting non-febrile UTIs was also explored.Methods: We focused on 59 outpatients (56.7% male) with these criteria, who had positive urine cultures and were referred to our Italian University hospital from January 2017 to January 2019. None were on antibiotics and all underwent urine cultures by bladder catheterisation. Wrongly diagnosed non-febrile UTIs were defined by sterile urine cultures. The predictive value was evaluated using logistic regression.Results: The mean age was 8.5 ± 5.7 months and 72.9% had wrongly diagnosed non-febrile UTIs. Poor feeding was significantly higher among the 16 patients with true non-febrile UTIs (P = .04). It was significantly predictive of non-febrile UTIs (odds ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1-16.6), especially when leucocyturia was present (odds ratio 9.7, 95% confidence interval 2.3-40.7).Conclusion: Wrongly diagnosed non-febrile UTIs were high in children with poor feeding and, or, failure to thrive. Only poor feeding and, in particular, the combination of poor feeding and leucocyturia, significantly increased the odds of non-febrile UTI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the presence of insulin resistance and glucose metabolism abnormalities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood. The study conducted on 139 children with JIA in Italy revealed an increased risk of insulin resistance and prediabetes in children with higher body mass index standard deviation scores. The findings suggest the importance of long-term monitoring of glucose metabolism in children with JIA who are overweight or obese to mitigate cardiometabolic risks. [Extracted from the article]