Pathogens
Long-Term Autoimmune Risk Following Pediatric Acute Pyelonephritis: A Nationwide Cohort Study
By Yu YD, Park DS and Han MY.
Abstract
Introduction
Acute pyelonephritis (APN) is a serious bacterial infection requiring hospitalization during childhood. This study investigated whether hospitalization for APN is associated with increased subsequent autoimmune disease risk.
Methods
In this nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, we included children born between 2002 and 2005. Children hospitalized for APN (identified by inpatient ICD-10 codes) were matched by birth year and sex to controls without APN. Clinical data including microbiological outcomes were unavailable. The primary outcome was incident autoimmune disease after a 1-year lag period.