Accuracy of NGAL as a Biomarker for Urinary Tract Infection in Young Febrile Children: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis

Abstract

To compare the accuracy of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and leukocyte esterase (LE) for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. We performed a systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis of studies that examined urine NGAL as a marker of UTI in children <18years of age. We created a standardized definition of UTI and applied it to all included children. We compared sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of NGAL with LE. We included individual patient data from 3 studies for a total of 845 children. Included children had a mean age of 0.9years (SD, 0.6years). Using a cutoff of 32.7ng/mL, NGAL had a sensitivity of 90.3% (95% CI: 83.2%-95.0%) and specificity of 93.7% (95% CI: 91.7%-95.4%) for the diagnosis of UTI. LE, using a cutoff of ≧ trace had a sensitivity of 81.1% (95% CI: 72.5%-87.9%) and specificity of 97.0% (95% CI: 95.4%-98.1%). The AUC for NGAL was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92-0.98). The AUC for LE was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86-0.93). In young, febrile children, urinary NGAL is more sensitive for the diagnosis of UTI than LE but is slightly less specific.