Symptoms and prevention of urinary tract infections for children

Urinary tract infection, also known as urinary tract infection, is one of the most common infections. They upset babies, worry parents and can also cause long-term kidney damage.

Urinary tract infections are most common in boys and girls during the first year of life and will decline significantly thereafter.

What is urinary tract infection?

A urinary tract infection is an infection of the urethra, bladder, kidneys, or both the urethra, bladder, and kidneys. Urinary tract infections caused by bacteria. About 50% of babies and preschoolers have a urinary tract infection. If kidney infection is serious, 5–20% of cases will leave scarring in the kidney. Scarring is of greatest concern as it can lead to increased blood pressure and impaired kidney function in the future.

Infants and teenagers with a urinary tract infection usually have no symptoms but a fever. Meanwhile, older children often develop pain or burning symptoms when urinating, pain in the bladder area or symptoms of urgency. Proper cleaning can help prevent urinary tract infections. For treatment, the doctor will use antibiotics.

Symptom

The newborn may have no symptoms other than a fever. Occasionally, your baby will have symptoms of anorexia or slow growth, sluggishness, vomiting or diarrhea. The infant's body can be severely affected by a urinary tract infection, causing sepsis;

Adolescents and children under 2 years of age with a urinary tract infection may have fever, vomiting, diarrhea , abdominal pain, and foul-smelling urine;

Children younger than 2 years old often have the typical symptoms of a kidney or bladder infection as adults do.

Children with bladder infections often experience pain or burning when urinating, urinating urgently, urgently, and pain in the bladder area. Children may also experience urinary retention or incontinence. Smelly urine;

Kidney infections are typically typical with pain in the back hip, high fever , chills and fatigue.

Diagnose

To diagnose a urinary tract infection, the doctor will conduct the following tests:

Urine tests: including total urine analysis and urine culture, positive urine culture in the presence of bacteria after culture;

Nephrology scan: sometimes the doctor will do an ultrasound to diagnose structural abnormalities of the urinary system;

Blood test: to find out if the baby's body is inflamed or not when a urine test cannot confirm the diagnosis. Blood tests also give the doctor the indication for a kidney infection besides bladder infection.

Prognosis

With good treatment and no urinary tract abnormality, the baby is less likely to develop kidney failure (ie not losing the ability to dialysis). However, urinary tract infections often return easily. If severe, it can cause reflux, increased blood pressure and chronic kidney disease.

Prevention

Preventing urinary tract infections is not easy at all, but proper cleaning is a fairly effective method.

If you have a girl, teach your child how to use a soft tissue from front to back after using the toilet to minimize the chance of bacteria getting through the urethral opening. In addition, avoid soaking in soapy baths too often, as it can irritate the skin around the urethral opening, increasing the risk of UTIs.

For boys, circumcised babies are less likely to get UTIs than uncircumcised babies with a rate of only 1/10. Frequent urination and bowel movements can help reduce the risk of urinary tract infections.

To treat a urinary tract infection, antibiotics are just enough for your baby. But sometimes, surgery can be needed in severe cases.

Hopefully the article will help you understand more about urinary tract infections to have effective preventive measures for your baby.