Introduction: The frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children with leukemia and febrile neutropenia (FN) is still not known exactly. In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency of UTIs in children with leukemia presenting with FN. Materials and Methods: Urine culture and complete urinalysis analysis of 87 febrile neutropenia episodes in children with acute leukemia aged 0 to 18 years between January 2015 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Of the 87 patients, 11 (12.6%) had acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) and 76 (87.3%) had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Complete urinalysis showed negative results in 78 (89.6%) samples and positive results in 9 (10.4%) samples (leukocyte and/or nitrite positivity). Positive urine cultures were found in 15 patients, indicating a UTI prevalence of 17.2%. Of the 15 patients with growth in culture, 6 (40%) had no abnormalities in urinalysis. Most detected microorganisms were gram-negative (n=12, 80%), with Escherichia coli being the most common isolate (n=6, 40%). Conclusion: UTI is as common in children with FEN leukemia as in healthy children. In the neutropenic period, no abnormality may be detected in a complete urinalysis. TMP-SMZ may also provide protection from UTI when used prophylactically in these patients. However, resistant bacteria are becoming increasingly common, and complete urinalysis and urine culture should be routinely studied in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with leukemia presenting with fever and neutropenia. Since this study is retrospective, studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
Veysiye Hülya Üzel (Fri,) studied this question.