title: Growth evaluation in children with vesicoureteral reflux.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vesicoureteral reflux and urinary tract infection predispose children to retardation of growth, hypertension, renal scarring and renal failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate growth pattern in children with vesicoureteral reflux before and after medical/surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The study population included 97 children aged 0.5 to 17 years (8.8±5.5). Body weight, height and bone age of the children were measured. Weight Z score and height Z score were calculated during first visits and after medical and/or surgical treatment. Distribution, mean and standard deviation score were evaluated for the descriptive data. T-test and Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test were used for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five percent of 97 children enrolled in this study were girls. About 48.5% of the children had unilateral and mild reflux, while 16.5% had bilateral and severe reflux. The bone age was 8.6 years. Differentiation with chronological age and bone age were not significant (P=0.294). At admission, 54.6% and 50.5% of children had negative Weight Z score and height Z score, respectively. After medical and surgical treatment, Weight Z score and height Z score were increased, however, only the increase in Weight Z score was significant (P=0.039, P=0.031, respectively). A significant reduction in bone age was found in children with renal scars compared to those without renal scars (P=0.048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-grade vesicoureteral reflux had a negative impact on indices of growth in children. Medical and/or surgical treatment had positive effect on weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey - ahmet.keskinoglu@ege.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keskinoğlu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Şükran
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Darcan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pembe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Keskinoğlu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: S Caner
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kabasakal
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D014718:Vesico-Ureteral Reflux / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy