---
title: "Clinical Conditions Linked to Elevated Lactate in Hospitalized Children"
id: "pubmed-42770888"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42770888"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Critical Care"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/"
doi: "10.1111/apa.70780"
published_at: "2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Clinical Conditions Linked to Elevated Lactate in Hospitalized Children
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42770888
- **Specialty:** [Critical Care](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/critical-care.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/)
- **DOI:** [10.1111/apa.70780](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fapa.70780)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- This 10-year retrospective cohort (2013–2023) examined patients under 17 admitted to ICU or acute paediatric wards to identify conditions associated with elevated **lactate** and where levels were highest. - Among 3,039 patients (4,577 hospitalisations), 175 episodes had lactate ≥ 5 mmol/L; the cohort and hospitalisation counts are reported in the source. - **Respiratory infections** were the most frequent diagnostic category among elevated-lactate cases (45.1%). - Sepsis/meningitis represented 4% of elevated-lactate cases but showed the highest median lactate values compared with most other diagnostic categories. - Only five patients had lactate ≥ 11 mmol/L; these very high values occurred mainly in patients with sepsis/meningitis. - The authors conclude that while **lactate** is highest in sepsis, elevated levels are common across diverse non-septic conditions in children. - The study emphasizes that lactate values should be interpreted in clinical context rather than used in isolation for pediatric sepsis screening or prognostication. - Keywords and study scope included emergency department, epidemiology, lactate, and sepsis; the article is published in Acta Paediatrica with DOI 10.1111/apa.70780 and PMID 42770888.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Online ahead of print. # Clinical Conditions Associated With Elevated Lactate Levels in Hospitalized Children [Eveliina Kuitunen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kuitunen+E&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland."), [Ilari Kuitunen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kuitunen+I&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland."), [Miika Arvonen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Arvonen+M&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland."), [Marjo Renko](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Renko+M&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#full-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.") Affiliations Expand ### Affiliations * 1 Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. * 2 Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. * PMID: **42770888** * DOI: [ 10.1111/apa.70780 ](https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70780) Item in Clipboard # Clinical Conditions Associated With Elevated Lactate Levels in Hospitalized Children Eveliina Kuitunen et al. Acta Paediatr. 2026. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Acta Paediatr Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Acta+Paediatr%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22Acta+Paediatr%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/) . 2026 Sep 22. doi: 10.1111/apa.70780. Online ahead of print. ### Authors [Eveliina Kuitunen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kuitunen+E&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland."), [Ilari Kuitunen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kuitunen+I&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland."), [Miika Arvonen](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Arvonen+M&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland."), [Marjo Renko](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Renko+M&cauthor_id=42770888)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.")[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42770888/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.") ### Affiliations * 1 Kuopio Pediatric Research Unit, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland. * 2 Department of Pediatrics, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland. * PMID: **42770888** * DOI: [ 10.1111/apa.70780 ](https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70780) Item in Clipboard Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID ## Abstract **Aim:** Lactate is included in adult septic shock criteria, but its role in paediatric sepsis is unclear. Recent guidelines propose lactate thresholds, though supporting evidence is limited. We aimed to identify conditions associated with elevated lactate in children and determine where levels are highest. **Methods:** We conducted a 10-year retrospective cohort study of patients . PubMed PMID: 32113910; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7284908. 2. 1. L. W. Andersen, J. Mackenhauer, J. C. Roberts, K. M. Berg, M. N. Cocchi, and M. W. Donnino, “Etiology and Therapeutic Approach to Elevated Lactate,” Mayo Clinic Proceedings 88, no. 10 (2013): 1127–1140, . PubMed PMID: 24079682; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3975915. 3. 1. A. Belu, N. Filip, L. M. Trandafir, et al., “Lactate, an Essential Metabolic Marker in the Diagnosis and Management of Pediatric Conditions,” Diagnostics 15, no. 7 (2025): 816, . 4. 1. L. Reed, J. Carroll, A. Cummings, S. Markwell, J. Wall, and M. Duong, “Serum Lactate as a Screening Tool and Predictor of Outcome in Pediatric Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Suspected Infection,” Pediatric Emergency Care 29, no. 7 (2013): 787–791, . PubMed PMID: 23823254. 5. 1. H. F. Scott, A. J. Donoghue, D. F. Gaieski, R. F. Marchese, and R. D. Mistry, “The Utility of Early Lactate Testing in Undifferentiated Pediatric Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome,” Academic Emergency Medicine 19, no. 11 (2012): 1276–1280, . PubMed PMID: 23167859. 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