Urinary tract infections in children
Urinary tract infections are one of the common diseases of childhood.
However, its insidious course and leading to severe consequences if not treated has a different importance from other pediatric
diseases.
It is considered that one out of every 100 boys and three out of every hundred girls who reach the age of 11 have a urinary tract infection once. Five out of every hundred children with fever of unknown origin have a urinary tract infection.
Urinary tract infections are often so subtle that they cannot be noticed by the child and family
. Especially the chronic course of the disease can be easily overlooked and left untreated for years; result in serious organ damage.
For all these reasons, it is extremely important for families to have information about the structure and diseases of the urinary tract.
Let’s briefly touch on the structure of the urinary tract; urine is produced in the kidneys, flows into the urinary bladder with the ureters and is stored here. The urine collected in the bladder (bladder) is thrown out through the urethra canal with the relaxation of the muscles at the bottom of the bladder when it needs to be emptied.
While the urethra ends at the tip of the penis in boys, it opens just above the vaginal opening in girls.
In a healthy child, there are no bacteria in the urine. Bacteria detected in the urine can originate from two places:
1_bacteria transmitted from the anus and genital area
2_established bacteria from other parts of the body via blood
if urinary tract infection is located in the kidney, pyelonephritis; If it is located in the bladder, it is called cystitis; if it is located in the urethra, it is called urethritis.
The main symptoms seen in urinary tract infection are: fever, frequent and painful urination, bedwetting or pain in the abdomen, side and back; loss of appetite, vomiting, foul-smelling, bloody, sedimentary urination and irritability and growth retardation in the baby
In a baby with one or more of the above-mentioned babies, the family should consult the pediatrician without wasting time.
The first and basic step in detecting urinary tract infection by the physician is urinalysis. Urine can be taken by sticking a plastic bag to the genital area, by using a urinary catheter or by entering the bladder with an injector if a more sensitive examination is required.
Urinary tract infections are treated with antibiotics. According to the severity of the disease, the appropriate antibiotic and application method are definitely determined by the pediatrician.
If the disease progresses with very severe symptoms, injection-like administration may be required. Oral treatments are sufficient in mild cases. Early and effective treatment of these treatments is extremely important in order to prevent the spread of infection and kidney damage. It is applied regularly for days. It should be ensured that the drugs are taken completely and properly.
If treatment is interrupted, the disease will relapse more severely.
In some cases, congenital urinary tract anatomical defect may be found under recurrent urinary tract infections. Urine may pool in the bladder and escape (reflux) towards the ureters may be found.
Healthy urine that cannot be emptied becomes inflamed over time and the chronic infection process begins.
The disease in these children often recurs despite treatment.
Detection of such an anatomical defect is possible by applying colored medication to the bladder with a medicated kidney film (IVP) or a catheter and then imaging.
In addition to this, other imaging methods are also helpful in diagnosis.
In chronic infections due to anatomical disorders, the underlying disorder must be corrected with surgery.
With early diagnosis and treatment, vital kidneys will be protected.
