title: [Utility of urine levels of interleukins in the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux: a case-control study in children].
abstract: Invasive imaging methods that require catheterization are used for the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux. Our aim is to assess the usefulness of interleukin urinary levels for the diagnosis of reflux in children without urinary tract infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study in children who underwent a voiding cystourethrogram: forty cases diagnosed of reflux and 80 controls. Concentrations of IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8 related to creatinine levels (pg/micromol) were determined in urine samples in all.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-two patients were males and fifty-eight females, with a mean age of 2.4 years. Indications for cystography were previous urinary tract infection in 78 cases (65%), prenatal diagnosis in 24 cases (20%) and postnatal diagnosis of uropathy or family history in 18 cases (15.1%). No significant differences were observed between cases and controls in IL-1beta/creatinine and IL-6/creatinine levels. However, IL-8/creatinine levels were almost significant higher in case group (median 3.5 pg/micromol; SD 9.2) than in control group (median 1.54 pg/micromol; SD 3) (P=0.001). The odds ratio was 5.57 (CI95%: 1.51 a 20.60) (X(MH)=2.80; p=0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Urinary levels of IL-8/creatinine are elevated in children with vesicoureteral reflux, even in absence of urinary tract infection. It could be used as a non-invasive marker for detection of subclinical cases of disease.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía Pediátrica, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete. msfernandezc@sescam.jccm.es
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fernández Córdoba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonzálvez Piñera
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Juncos Tobarra
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mansilla Legorburo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández Anselmi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Argumosa Salazar
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sotoca Fernández
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidal Company
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007378:Interleukins / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins