Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common in children. By the time they are 5 years old, about 8% of girls and approximately 1-2%
Boys have had at least one.
In older children, UTIs can cause obvious symptoms such as burning or pain when urinating (peeing). In infants and young
Children may be more difficult to detect urinary tract infection because the symptoms are less specific. In fact, fever is sometimes the only sign.
About HWI
Most urinary tract infections are caused when bacteria from the urinary tract, which will be composed of the kidneys, ureters, bladder infection, and
Urethra. Everyone plays a role in removing liquid waste from the body. The kidneys filter the blood and produce urine, which
Ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder and the bladder stores the urine until it is eliminated from the
Body through the urethra.
Infection can occur anywhere along this tract, but the lower part - the urethra and bladder - is the most common
involved. This is called cystitis. If the infection travels up the ureters into the kidneys, called pyelonephritis and it
is usually more serious.
Although bacteria normally found in the urine, they can easily enter the urinary tract from the skin around the
Anus (the intestinal bacteria E. coli is the most common cause of urinary tract infections). Many other bacteria and some viruses can
also cause infection. Rarely, bacteria reach the bladder or the kidneys through the blood. Bacterial urinary tract infections are not
contagious.
Urinary tract infections occur more frequently in girls, especially those around the age of toilet teaching, because a girl's urethra
is shorter and closer to the anus. Uncircumcised boys younger than 1 year have a slightly increased risk of developing
a UTI.
Other risk factors for developing a UTI include:
an abnormality in the structure or function of the urinary tract (such as a kidney or a blockage somewhere defective
along the tract of the normal flow of urine)
an abnormal backflow (reflux) of urine from the bladder to the ureters and kidneys. This condition, known
as VUR (VUR) is present at birth, and about 30% to 50% of children with UTI are found to have it.
poor toilet and hygiene habits
the use of soaps or bubble baths that irritate the urethra
Family history of urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections are highly treatable, but it is important to recognize it early. Undiagnosed or untreated UTIs can lead to kidney failure
Damage, especially in children younger than 6
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of UTI are depending on the age of the child and in which part of the urinary tract infection is dependent. In
younger children and infants, the symptoms can be very general. The child may irritable, begin to feed poorly or vomit.
Sometimes the only symptom is a fever that seems to appear for no reason and will not go away.
In older children and adults, the symptoms can show which part of the urinary tract is infected. In a bladder infection, the
Child may have:
Pain, burning or stinging sensation while peeing
an increased need to urinate or frequent urination (even though only a very small amount of urine may be produced)
Fever (although this is not always available)
frequent nocturnal awakenings to go to the toilet
Wetting problems, even though the child is taught Toilet
Lower back pain or abdominal pain in the bladder (generally below the navel)
foul-smelling urine that may look cloudy or contain blood
Many of these symptoms are also seen in a kidney infection, but the child often appears more ill and more
Have fever with chills, pain in the side or back, extreme tiredness, or vomiting.
Prevention
In infants and young children can prevent frequent diaper changes, cause the spread of bacteria that urinary tract infections. When children begin
Self-care, it is important to teach them good hygiene. After each bowel movement, you should remember to wipe from girls
front to rear - not back to front - to prevent the spread of germs from the rectum to the urethra.
All children should be taught not to "hold" when they need to go, because the urine remains in the bladder gives bacteria
a good place to grow.
School age girls should avoid bubble baths and soaps that may cause severe irritation, and they should wear cotton
Underwear instead of nylon, because it shows that the growth of bacteria is less likely to promote. Other ways to decrease the risk of
Urinary tract infections are drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding caffeine, which can irritate the bladder.
All children diagnosed with VUR should follow their doctor's treatment plan to prevent recurrent UTIs.
Time
Most urinary tract infections are cured within a week with proper medical treatment. Recurrences are common in certain children with urinary
Anomalies have those problems emptying their bladder (such as children with spina bifida) or those with very
poor toilet and hygiene habits.
Diagnosis
After performing a physical exam and ask about symptoms, your doctor can check a urine sample and to identify
Bacteria causing the infection. As a sample is taken will depend on how old your child is. Older children might simply have
pee into a sterile cup.
For younger kids in diapers, a plastic bag with duct tape over their genitals can be placed to collect the urine.
However, the urine can be in contact with the skin is contaminated by the same bacteria infection,
such a catheter is usually preferred. This is when a thin tube inserted into the urethra to the bladder in order to obtain a
"Clean" urine sample.
The sample can be used for a urinalysis (a test that checks the urine for microscopic germs or pus) or urine
Culture (which tries to grow and identifying bacteria in a laboratory). Knowing what bacteria causing the infection
can help your doctor choose the best medication to treat it.
Most children with UTI recover quite well, but some of them - especially those who are very young, when they have their
Infection or those who have recurrent infections - need further tests to rule out abnormalities of the
Urinary tract.
If an abnormality is suspected, the doctor may order special tests such as an ultrasound of the kidneys and the bladder or
X-rays are taken during urination (called a voiding cystourethrogram or MCU). These tests, as well as other
Studies with imaging techniques can check for problems in the structure or function of the urinary tract. Your child may also
by a urologist (a doctor who specializes in diseases of the urinary tract).
Treatment
UTIs are treated with antibiotics. The type of antibiotic, and how long it needs to be considered depend on the type of
Bacteria that caused the infection and how severe it is. After several days of antibiotics, your doctor may repeat
The urine tests to confirm that the infection is gone. It is important to ensure that the infection is cleared, since a
incompletely treated UTI can recur or spread.
If a child with severe pain during urination, the doctor may also prescribe a medication that numbs the lining of the
Urinary tract. This drug causes the temporary pee turn orange, but not be alarmed - the color is not
Importance.
Give prescribed antibiotics on schedule for as many days as your doctor directs. Keep your child explore the
Bathroom and ask your child about symptoms such as pain or burning during urination. These symptoms should improve within 2 to
3 days after antibiotics are started.
Take your child's temperature once every morning and every evening, and call the doctor if he rises above 101 ° F (38.3 ° C)
or above 100.4 ° F (38 ° C) rectally in infants. Encourage your child to drink too much, but avoid drinks
Contain caffeine, such as soda and iced tea.
Children with a simple bladder infection are usually treated at home with oral antibiotics. Preferably, however, those with a more severe
Infection may need to be treated in a hospital to receive antibiotics by injection or intravenously (delivered by a
Vein directly into the bloodstream).
Children tend to be admitted to hospital for UTI if:
the child has a high fever or looks very sick, or there is a probable kidney infection
the child is younger than 6 months old
Bacteria from the infected urinary tract may have spread the blood
the child is dehydrated (have low body fluids) or vomiting and no fluids or medication by mouth
Children diagnosed with VUR (or VUR) in which urine goes back up into the ureters instead of flowing
the urethra, will be watched closely by a doctor. Treatment may include medications or, rarely, surgery. Most
Children outgrow mild forms of VUR, but some may develop kidney damage or kidney failure later in life.
When to call the doctor
Call your doctor immediately if your child has an unexplained fever with chills, especially when accompanied by
Back pain or any kind of discomfort when urinating.
Also call the doctor if your child has any of the following:
unusually frequent urination or frequent urination at night
bad-smelling, bloody, or discolored urine
Lower back pain or abdominal pain (especially below the navel)
Fever over 101 ° F (38.3 ° C) in children or 100.4 ° F (38 ° C) rectally in infants
Call the doctor if your child has a fever, feeds poorly, vomits repeatedly, or seems unusually irritable.