Diagnostic Value of Lactoferrin in Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections in Children

Urinary tract infections is a common disease, especially in children, and is diagnosed through urine culture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of lactoferrin in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections.
In this descriptive-analytical study, 45 children with urinary tract infection (positive culture) and 45 children without urinary tract infection (negative culture) were investigated for urinary lactoferrin level and its cut-off point and diagnostic value were evaluated based on the result of urine culture.
Findings: The cut-off point for lactoferrin level was 400 ng/dl, and based on this test, the sensitivity and specificity rate was 20% and 93%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 75% and 53%, respectively.
Lactoferrin, due to its high specificity, can prevent more diagnostic tests for negative cases. Due to the relatively high positive predictive value in clinical cases, it facilitates the decision to initiate treatment with positive tests. Lactoferrin can be a good test for ultimate prevention of delay in the onset of treatment, which results in irreversible complications in kidney and urinary system.