Urinary Abnormalities Among Asymptomatic Adolescents in Rural Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background The utility of screening for chronic kidney disease in children and adolescents remains controversial. Since it is difficult to screen all the children, we aimed to look into at-risk children who will benefit from asymptomatic urine analysis. Materials and Methods The study was done on 2201 students between 10 and 18 years of age (fifth to twelfth grade) from the rural schools of central Tamil Nadu. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and urine analysis was done in the schools with ten parametric dipsticks. Anthropometry was classified using the World Health Organization’s AnthroPlus software. Results Dipstick urinalysis was done on 2121 adolescents, and 10.18% showed an abnormality. The most common abnormality was the presence of red blood cells in urine at 4.2%, followed by leukocyturia at 3.7% and proteinuria at 2.4%. Leukocyturia was more common among females (7.8% versus 0.7% in males). Children with wasting were found to have 1.83 times higher risk for proteinuria (p-value 0.025). Conclusion Children with Body Mass Index Z-Scores < 2, especially females, may benefit from selective urinary screening.