Alteration of platelet indices in young children with acute pyelonephritis

Introduction: Platelets have important contribution in pathogenesis of different infectious and inflammatory disorders. This study was performed to identify the diagnostic value of platelet count (PLT), and platelet indices in children with acute pyelonephritis (APN). Materials and methods: A total of 91 children with APN and 90 healthy control children were investigated in a cross sectional case control study during 2018-2019.  About 3 cc of EDTA blood was drawn before antibiotic treatment and investigated for WBC count, Hgb level, MCV, PLT, and platelet indices including mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet large cell ratio (PLCR) in two groups. Results: Mean age at diagnosis of patients was 34.57±30.96 months. The majority of patients were females (7.7%/92.3%). Children with APN had significantly higher PLT, along with lower MPV, PDW and PLCR, compared to the normal healthy group. Using the best cutoff points, PLT>452000 and MPV≤7.7 had the highest sensitivity (96.67%) and specificity (92.22%) for diagnosis of APN, respectively. Based on AUC, PLT and platelet indices were accurate diagnostic markers of APN. Conclusion: Based on the results, PLT and platelet indices were fast and additionary tests for diagnosis of children with acute febrile urinary tract infection.