Aithal, Nimisha, and Kandasamy, Yogavijayan (2024) The Babyccino: The Role of Caffeine in the Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury in Neonates—A Literature Review. Healthcare, 12. 529.

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Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in neonates is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Theophylline (a methylxanthine) has been shown to prevent neonatal AKI but is seldom used due to its unfavorable profile. Caffeine, another methylxanthine, is utilized ubiquitously to treat apnea of prematurity, but there are no randomized trials evaluating its efficacy in preventing neonatal AKI. This literature review aims to summarize the existing research pertaining to the relationship between caffeine and neonatal AKI. The review was conducted using Pubmed, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. Inclusion criteria incorporated empirical studies, being published in English, and being available electronically. All eight studies identified were included. Seven studies found caffeine-exposed premature neonates had lower rates of AKI than caffeine-unexposed neonates. Four found reduced AKI severity with caffeine exposure. One study included term neonates and did not find a difference in the AKI rate between caffeine-exposed and non-exposed babies. Limitations include exclusively observational studies, short study periods, heterogenous definitions of prematurity, and a lack of assessment of dose–effect relationships. In conclusion, premature neonates exposed to caffeine appear to have lower rates and potentially less severe AKI. Further research is needed before caffeine can be considered for use in the primary prevention of neonatal AKI.

Item ID:	86020
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2227-9032
Copyright Information:	© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Date Deposited:	01 Jul 2025 23:53
FoR Codes:	32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3213 Paediatrics > 321303 Neonatology @ 50% 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3202 Clinical sciences > 320214 Nephrology and urology @ 50%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200105 Treatment of human diseases and conditions @ 100%
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