Measurement of Urinary Amino-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Childhood Lower Respiratory Tract Infections: An Indicator of Clinical Severity?

Aim: Prompt diagnosis and determination of the clinical severity and intervention of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) is essential for the prevention and management of life-threatening complications. Laboratory tests do not serve as accurate indicators of clinical severity. Our aim was to evaluate the contribution of urinary amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) concentrations in children with LRTI to clinical assessment in terms of determining clinical severity and the necessity of hospitalization. Materials and Methods: This prospective non-randomised study included a total of 160 patients, aged 0-6 years, diagnosed with LRTI [(group 1=outpatient group (n=108), and (group 2=hospitalized patients (n=52)]. The control group (group 3) was comprised of 46 healthy children. Urinary NT-ProBNP level of each participant was measured by ELISA method. Results: Although not significant, the mean urinary NT-ProBNP level of all patients was higher than that of the control group (p=0.322). When we compared the three groups separately, the highest levels belonged to outpatients whereas hospitalized patients showed slightly lower levels than the control group without any statistical significance (p=0.128). As for newborns (n=16), patients showed higher levels than the controls (p=0.041). P value