The level of urinary endothelin in patients with urinary reflux

In different tissues, the endothelin is produced by vascular endothelium. They are potent vasoconstrictor peptides. There is a little information about the role of endothelin in reflux nephropathy.
The aim of this study is to evaluate urinary levels of endothelin in patients with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).
Patients and It was a cross-sectional study that conducted on 81 children who received voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG). Based on VCUG reports, patients were divided into two groups; with reflux (40 persons) and without reflux (41 persons). We got a urine sample from patients with mid-stream or urine bag method. The endothelin level was assessed with ELISA immunoassay. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16.
Based on VCUG reports, 40 patients (49.4%) had urinary reflux, of them 20 cases suffered from unilateral urinary reflux and others from bilateral. Of 40 patients with reflux, 23 cases (57.5% of reflux group) had kidney scar and seven individuals (17.5%) had abnormal kidney sonography. Of patients with urinary reflux, 13 cases (32.5%) had grad 1 urinary reflux, 8 cases (20%) grade 2, and 5 cases (12.5%) grade 3 and finally 14 cases (35%) grade 4. The UET-1 levels were significantly higher in VUR patients compared to the control group (P Urine endothelin-1 level can be considered as an alternative to VCUG for screening vesicourethral reflux.