Alteration of Platelet Indices in Young Children with Acute Pyelonephritis

Background Platelets have an 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 In a cross sectional case control study, a total of 91 children with APN and 90 healthy control children were investigated during 2018-2019. About 3 ml EDTA blood was drawn before antibiotic treatment and investigated for white blood count (WBC), Hemoglobin level, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet counts, and platelet indices including mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and platelet large cell ratio (PLCR) in two groups. Then, the results were compared in two groups. Results Mean age at diagnosis of patients was 34.57±30.96 months. 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 additional tests for diagnosis of children with acute febrile urinary tract infection.