Healthcare Issues

Research Article

Sex and Age-Related Difference In Renal Markers in Pediatric Patients: A Study At Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

  • By Achigbu Kingsley Ihedioha, Ohiri John Uchechukwu - 29 Sep 2024
  • Healthcare Issues, Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Pages: 1 - 5
  • https://doi.org/10.58614/hi321
  • Received: 24 July 2024; Accepted: 14 September 2024; Published: 29 September 2024

Abstract

Assessing renal function in pediatric populations is essential but complex due to developmental variations influenced by age and gender. Creatinine and urea, which are primary markers for renal function, vary significantly across different sociodemographic settings, yet these variations are often under explored in clinical practice. This study investigates the impact of sociodemographic factors on renal markers, specifically serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (Ur) in pediatric patients at Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri. The crosssectional study involved 100 pediatrics who were recruited into the study by simple random sampling technique at Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri. The 100 pediatric patients were those less than ≤ 6 years and comprising both males and females. Blood samples were collected for urea and creatinine investigations. Using ANOVA and t-test, the differences in this marker across age groups and between genders were analyzed respectively. The results showed that there was no significant difference in creatinine and urea levels between males and females in pediatrics. There was also no significant difference in creatinine levels across the age groups. On the other hand, there was a significant difference in urea level across the age group. This study has thus demonstrated that age and gender does not have any impact on creatinine in pediatrics neither does gender have any significant impact on urea levels except across the age groups of the pediatrics.