Prevalence and risk factors of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole-related acute kidney injury in pediatric patients: an observational study from a public database

BACKGROUND: Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ) is widely used in various clinical settings. Studies have revealed that it may cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in adults. However, the correlation between the use of TMP/SMZ and renal injury in pediatric patients is still unclear. This study aimed to identify the impact of TMP/SMZ on the occurrence of AKI in children. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted using data of patients treated with TMP/SMZ from the Paediatric Intensive Care clinical database. A newly developed criterion was used for the diagnosis of AKI, and univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors of TMP/SMZ-related renal injury. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients were included. The prevalence of AKI was 21.2% (24/113). Univariate analysis indicated that the AKI group showed significantly higher baseline serum creatinine level (46.00 vs. 37.00 µmol/L; P=0.034) and in-hospital mortality rate [29.2% (7/24) vs. 9.0% (8/89); P=0.01] than that of the non-AKI group. Multivariate analysis revealed that the occurrence of AKI was significantly associated with increased baseline serum creatinine level [odds ratio (OR) =1.029; 95% CI: 1.006–1.053; P=0.014] and concurrent use of vancomycin (OR =5.349; 95% CI: 1.381–20.714; P=0.015). A proportion of 79.2% of patients (19/24) developed AKI within the first 10 days of TMP/SMZ use. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated baseline serum creatinine level (≥40.25 µmol/L) and concurrent use of vancomycin were associated with the development of AKI in young patients. Further large multi-center prospective studies are necessary to confirm these relationships and validate their clinical significance.