SERUM VITAMIN-A AND BETA-CAROTENE CONCENTRATIONS AND RENAL SCARRING IN URINARY-TRACT INFECTIONS

Objective-To evaluate the role of vitamin A on renal scarring in recur rent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Design-Twenty three children wit h UTIs and renal scarring (mean (SD) age 7.3 (3.9) years) and 91 child ren without renal scarring (6.4 (3.4) years) were studied. All the chi ldren had serum vitamin A and beta-carotene measurements and nutrition al evaluation. Renal scarring was assessed by technetium-99m dimercapt osuccinic acid (Tc-99m DMSA) scanning. Nutritional status of all the p atients was within normal limits and not different between the groups. Results-Mean (SD) serum vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations we re not significantly different between the patients with and without r enal scarring (vitamin A 53.2 (22.6)/46.8 (17.0) mu g/dl and beta-caro tene 232.3 (201.3)/272.4 (86.0) mu g/dl respectively). However, when t he patients with renal scarring and with greater than 10% difference a mong the DMSA uptakes of their kidneys (11 cases) were evaluated, a si gnificant negative correlation was determined between the serum vitami n A concentrations and the magnitude of the difference in uptakes of e ach kidney. The same relation was not true for serum beta-carotene con centrations. Conclusion-This study demonstrated a relation between ser um vitamin A concentrations and magnitude of hypoactivity in Tc-99m DM SA scanning in kidneys with advanced scarring.