Urinary Ghrelin Concentration in Children With Urinary Tract Infections Before and After Treatment

Background: urinary tract infections (utis) are common in children. they can lead to hypertension and end stage renal disease (esrd). ghrelin is a regulatory hormone that maintains fat tissues and body composition. ghrelin is mainly produced in the stomach and in smaller amounts in kidneys. it stimulates release of growth hormone (gh), increases food intake, and causes weight gain. objectives: the aim of this study was to examine weather urinary ghrelin concentration is involved in anorexia in patients with uti and its urinary concentration changes with treatment. patients and methods: this study was performed on 40 hospitalized children with uti at mofid children’s hospital during years 2013 to 2014. ghrelin and creatinine were measured before and after treatment. statistical analyzes were performed using the spss software version 18 by student t test, wilcoxon test and spearman coefficient and differences were considered as significant if p < 0.05. results: mean age was 4.5 ± 3.8 years and 34 (85%) were females; 14 children (35%) had proteinuria, nine patients (29%) had vesicoureteral reflux (vur), eight (20%) scare, five (12.5%) hydronephrosis and 33 (82.5%) anorexia. mean urinary acylated ghrelin before and after treatment were 138.4±70.9 and 147.2±72.6, respectively (p < 0.001). there was no significant difference between mean urinary ghrelin before and after treatment in children with uti with or without anorexia. acylated ghrelin had a direct correlation with the incidence of renal scarring (r = 0.37, p = 0.034). conclusions: urinary ghrelin concentration was lower before treatment of uti and significantly increased after cessation of inflammation. further studies are required for more definite results