AUTHOR=Chuang Gwo-Tsann , Tsai I-Jung , Tsau Yong-Kwei 

TITLE=Serum Creatinine Reference Limits in Pediatric Population—A Single Center Electronic Health Record-Based Database in Taiwan

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.793446

DOI=10.3389/fped.2021.793446

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> To assess age- and sex-specific serum creatinine levels in a pediatric population using a hospital-based database in Taiwan.</p><p><bold>Study Design:</bold> Data on serum creatinine levels were obtained from the National Taiwan University Hospital-integrated Medical Database (NTUH-iMD). Due to the possibility of having acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease, individuals with multiple serum creatinine measurements were excluded, and outliers in each age- and sex-specific group were also subsequently removed. The remaining creatinine measurements in each group were analyzed, and 95% reference limits were established.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Serum creatinine data of individuals aged between 1 month and 18 years from May 2011 to January 2018 were retrieved. After applying the exclusion criteria, 27,911 individuals with a single corresponding serum creatinine measurement were enrolled. Creatinine level reference limits for each age- and sex-specific group were generated. The upper reference limits (URLs), which are particularly useful in clinical practice, followed the natural trend of increasing serum creatinine with age.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> We generated serum creatinine reference limits from a single hospital-integrated medical database in Taiwan for different age- and sex-specific groups of children. Our results will aid physicians in clinical practice regarding renal function evaluation, especially for patients without a recent baseline serum creatinine level.</p>