Horseshoe Kidney May Raise UTI Risk in Kids

Closer follow-up for urinary tract infection (UTI) and renal scarring may be warranted for children with horseshoe kidney (HSK), new findings suggest.Sevgi Yavuz, MD, and colleagues at Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, studied 41 children with HSK (22 girls and 19 boys). The median follow-up was 48 months (range 12–120). 

The researchers found UTI in 17 patients (41.4%) and renal scarring in 10 (24.4%), according to an online report in Urology. In addition, 8 children (19.5%) had bladder dysfunction, 9 (21.9%) had additional systemic abnormalities, and 7 (17%) required surgical intervention. Proteinuria developed in 6 patients (14.6%), complicated hypertension developed in 4 (9.8%), and chronic kidney disease developed in 3 (7.3%). 

“Children with HSK might be examined for additional urologic and nonurologic abnormalities,” Dr. Yavuz and colleagues concluded.

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