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.