Comparative Analysis of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Children With Cerebral Palsy and Healthy Controls in a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria

Comparative Analysis of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Children With Cerebral Palsy and Healthy Controls in a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Analysis of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Children With Cerebral Palsy and Healthy Controls in a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria Andrea Ogechukwu Ezeike-Obi, Joy Ebenebe, Wilson Igwe, Ogochukwu C. Ofiaeli, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7236620/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Nephrology → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and objective : Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience various medical and functional challenges that may impact renal function over time. Despite this risk, routine renal evaluations and nephrology referrals are not commonly part of their standard care protocol. This study aimed to compare cystatin C-and creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) between children with cerebral palsy and healthy controls. Methodology : A hospital-based, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the Paediatric Neurology and Nephrology Clinics and general children's outpatient clinic of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. A total of 100 children aged 5–18 years comprising 50 children with cerebral palsy and 50 age-and sex-matched healthy controls, were enrolled. Relevant sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples were analyzed for serum creatinine and cystatin C. eGFR was calculated using the Modified Schwartz formula (for creatinine) and the univariate cystatin C formula. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results : The mean serum creatinine level was significantly lower in children with CP (0.596±0.117 mg/dL) compared to controls (0.702±0.123 mg/dL; p < 0.001). Consequently, creatinine-based eGFR was significantly higher in the CP group (95.99±18.91 mL/min/1.73m²) than in controls (88.55±15.44 mL/min/1.73m²; p = 0.043). However, there were no significant differences in mean cystatin C levels (0.682±0.096 mg/L vs. 0.686±0.073 mg/L; p = 0.852) or cystatin C-based eGFR (102.12±9.52 mL/min/1.73m² vs. 101.34±8.86 mL/min/1.73m²; p = 0.671) between the groups. Conclusion : Most children with cerebral palsy demonstrated eGFR values within normal ranges using both creatinine and cystatin C markers. Furthermore, creatinine-based eGFR was higher in children with cerebral palsy compared to healthy controls, likely reflecting reduced muscle mass rather than superior renal function. Cystatin C may be a more reliable marker for renal function assessment in children with cerebral palsy, as it is less influenced by muscle mass variations. glomerular filtration rate renal function cerebral palsy creatinine cystatin C Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 18 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Nephrology → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 17 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Aug, 2025 Editor invited by journal 13 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 13 Aug, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7236620","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":508149202,"identity":"e8dfbca3-45bf-4e8e-8952-0d77a0d355d4","order_by":0,"name":"Andrea Ogechukwu Ezeike-Obi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACAwjFzMbA8IGBIYE0LYwzSNPCwMbAzEOMFv7Zzds+fKixsednZ0t8bNtml8fP3sD44WMObi0Sd44Vz5xxLI1ZspntsHFuW3KxZM8BZsmZ2/BYcyPHmJmH7TCbwWH2NuncNubEDTcS2Jh58WiRB2n58+8/j/1h9vbflm31hLUYgLQwth2QMGBmOwZkHCasxfBGWjFjb1+ygcRhtmTJnnPHE2f2HGzG6xe5G8mbGX58s7Pn7z9m+OFHWXViP3vzwQ8f8XkfBTCygckGYtWDwB9SFI+CUTAKRsFIAQDqME7pbRgrmgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andrea","middleName":"Ogechukwu","lastName":"Ezeike-Obi","suffix":""},{"id":508149203,"identity":"d6686982-f6a7-433e-b2e3-0076a79b2f87","order_by":1,"name":"Joy Ebenebe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joy","middleName":"","lastName":"Ebenebe","suffix":""},{"id":508149204,"identity":"20733569-c7b2-4d75-bcae-f6468e96a22c","order_by":2,"name":"Wilson Igwe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wilson","middleName":"","lastName":"Igwe","suffix":""},{"id":508149205,"identity":"6b229445-e4ff-400c-8bf1-410ae34befab","order_by":3,"name":"Ogochukwu C. 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Despite this risk, routine renal evaluations and nephrology referrals are not commonly part of their standard care protocol. This study aimed to compare cystatin C-and creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) between children with cerebral palsy and healthy controls.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethodology\u003c/strong\u003e: A hospital-based, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted at the Paediatric Neurology and Nephrology Clinics and general children's outpatient clinic of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi. A total of 100 children aged 5–18 years comprising 50 children with cerebral palsy and 50 age-and sex-matched healthy controls, were enrolled. Relevant sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Blood samples were analyzed for serum creatinine and cystatin C. eGFR was calculated using the Modified Schwartz formula (for creatinine) and the univariate cystatin C formula. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e: The mean serum creatinine level was significantly lower in children with CP (0.596±0.117 mg/dL) compared to controls (0.702±0.123 mg/dL; p \u0026lt; 0.001). Consequently, creatinine-based eGFR was significantly higher in the CP group (95.99±18.91 mL/min/1.73m²) than in controls (88.55±15.44 mL/min/1.73m²; p = 0.043). However, there were no significant differences in mean cystatin C levels (0.682±0.096 mg/L vs. 0.686±0.073 mg/L; p = 0.852) or cystatin C-based eGFR (102.12±9.52 mL/min/1.73m² vs. 101.34±8.86 mL/min/1.73m²; p = 0.671) between the groups.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e: Most children with cerebral palsy demonstrated eGFR values within normal ranges using both creatinine and cystatin C markers. Furthermore, creatinine-based eGFR was higher in children with cerebral palsy compared to healthy controls, likely reflecting reduced muscle mass rather than superior renal function. Cystatin C may be a more reliable marker for renal function assessment in children with cerebral palsy, as it is less influenced by muscle mass variations.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative Analysis of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Children With Cerebral Palsy and Healthy Controls in a Tertiary Health Facility in Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-02 03:36:01","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7236620/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-09-24T17:28:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-22T05:04:05+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-17T20:42:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"121504295591426010928135479810356049339","date":"2025-08-31T22:29:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"323882363104954523535852689737480147183","date":"2025-08-27T20:01:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-08-25T14:19:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-08-13T14:24:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-08-13T09:41:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-08-11T15:07:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Nephrology","date":"2025-08-11T15:06:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-nephrology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bnep","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Nephrology](http://bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/bnep/default.aspx","title":"BMC Nephrology","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e7cdb1af-a57c-4816-abce-8817b45b4578","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 2nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-24T16:09:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7236620","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-025-04579-1","journal":{"identity":"bmc-nephrology","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Nephrology"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-18 15:58:16","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 18th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-02 03:36:01","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s12882-025-04579-1","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-025-04579-1","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7236620","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7236620","identity":"rs-7236620","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}