Urine fibroblast growth factor 23 levels in hypertensive children and adolescents

AIM To determine the correlation of urinary fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) excretion with blood pressure and calcium-phosphorus metabolism. METHODS The study included 42 hypertensive (17 girls) and 46 healthy children and adolescents (17 girls) aged 6-18 years admitted to the Department of Pediatrics and Nephrology, Medical University of Białystok between January 2013 and December 2013. FGF23 in urine was measured using Human Intact FGF-23 ELISA Kit. RESULTS Hypertensive participants had significantly higher urine FGF23/creatinine values than the reference group (8.65 vs 5.59 RU/mg creatinine, P=0.007). Urine FGF23/creatinine positively correlated with systolic blood pressure in all participants. In hypertensive patients, urine FGF23/creatinine positively correlated with serum calcium and negatively with serum 25(OH)D, urinary calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. CONCLUSION This study found that FGF23 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in children and adolescents, but our results should be confirmed by further studies.