Evaluating the Predictive Efficacy of Dipstick Urinalysis for Detecting Urinary Tract Infections in Febrile Children Under Five Years of Age at Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

 ¹Nwigwe U. M., ²Esezobor C. I., ¹Iregbu F. U. and ³Ushie S. N.

 ¹Federal   University Teaching Hospital Owerri

  ²Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos State

 ³Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess the predictive efficacy of dipstick urinalysis in detecting urinary tract infections (UTI) among febrile children under five years of age at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. The research involved a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study, analyzing the diagnostic performance of nitrite and leucocyte esterase tests on urine dipsticks. The results revealed low sensitivity but high specificity for both tests, suggesting their potential role in excluding UTI. The findings emphasize the importance of combining dipstick urinalysis with urine culture for accurate diagnosis in febrile children.

Keywords: Urinary tract infections, Dipstick urinalysis, Febrile children, Nitrite, Leucocyte esterase, Diagnostic efficacy, Nigeria.

CITE AS: Nwigwe U. M., Esezobor C. I., Iregbu F. U. and Ushie S. N. (2024). Evaluating the Predictive Efficacy of Dipstick Urinalysis for Detecting Urinary Tract Infections in Febrile Children Under Five Years of Age at Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. IAA Journal of Biological Sciences 12(1):11-19.  https://doi.org/10.59298/IAAJB/2024/121.11.191