Urinary Enzyme Activities in Children and Neonates Receiving Gentamicin Therapy

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Abstract
When compared to age-matched controls, urinary enzyme activities (expresscd as units per milligram of urinary crcatinine) were significantly elevated in gentamicin- trcated children (N-acetyl-ß-glucosaminidase, NAG, 2,719 vs. 85 U, p < 0.001; ß-giucuronidase 203 vs. 15 U, p < 0.001; muramidase 34 vs. 7 .l U, p < 0.01) and infants (NAG 3,576 vs. 1,305, p < 0.001; ß-glucuronidase 153 vs. 51, p < 0.001; muramidase 213 vs. 65, p < 0.02). Elcvated urinary enzyrne activities du ring gentamicin therapy reflect tubular changes that may not be manifested by increases in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Urinary activities of NAG and muramidase were higher in control preterm infants compared to control term infants, perhaps in part due to developmental immaturity.