Young Children have a greater risk of kidney damage linked to UTI than older children or adults.
Data shows that 8 girls in a 100 and 2 boys in a 100 will get UTIs.
Ques 1 How does the Urinary Tract Work?
Ans The “urinary tract” is the organs in your body that make, store, and get rid of urine, one of the waste products of your body. Urine is made in the kidneys and travels down to the bladder through the ureters (the tubes that join them). The kidneys make about 1½ to 2 quarts of urine a day in an adult, and less in children, depending on their age. In children, the bladder can hold 1 to 1½ ounces of urine for each year of age. For example, a 4-year-old child’s bladder can hold 4 to 6 ounces—a little less than a cup.
The bladder stores the urine until it is emptied through the urethra, a tube that links the bladder to the skin, when you urinate. The urethra opens at the end of the penis in boys and in front of the vagina in girls.
The kidneys also balance the levels of many chemicals in the body (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and others) and check the blood’s acidity. Certain hormones are also made in the kidneys. These hormones help control blood pressure, boost red blood cell production and help make strong bones.
Normal urine has no bacteria in it, and the one-way flow helps prevent infections. Still, bacteria may get into the urine through the urethra and travel up into the bladder.
Ques 2 What are the Symptoms of UTI?
Ans If your child is an infant or too young to tell you how he or she feels, the signs are likely to be vague and not linked to the urinary tract. Your child may just have a high fever, or be grouchy and not eat. Sometimes a child will have only a low-grade fever, loose stools, or just not seem healthy. You may notice that the diaper urine “smells bad.”
If your child has a high fever and appears sick without a clear reason (such as a runny nose or ear ache), you should take him or her to see a health care provider. If the cause is a kidney infection and it is not treated at once, the bacteria may spread to the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening infection or lasting kidney damage.
Here are some signs of a UTI:
- Pain, burning, or a stinging feeling when urinating
- Urinating often or feeling an urgent need to urinate, even without passing urine
- Foul-smelling urine that may look cloudy or have blood in it
- Fever
- Pain in the low back or around the bladder
Ques 3 What are the Causes of UTI?
Ans Normal urine is sterile and has no bacteria in it. But bacteria cover the skin and are found in large numbers in the rectal area and in stools. Bacteria may, at times, travel up the urethra into the bladder. When this happens, the bacteria multiply and, unless the body gets rid of the bacteria, may cause infection.
There are 2 basic types of UTIs:
- bladder infection
- kidney infection
If the bacteria travel up from the bladder through the ureters and reach and infect the kidneys, the kidney infection is called pyelonephritis. Kidney infections are more serious than bladder infections, and can harm the kidney, especially in young children.
Many children who get urinary tract infections have normal kidneys and bladders, but abnormalities should be found as early as possible in life to help protect the kidneys.
Ques 4 Can UTIs be Prevented in Children?
Ans If your child has a normal urinary tract, certain habits can help prevent UTIs.
- Draining the bladder often is one of the body’s best defences against UTIs.
- Drinking more fluids will increase urine flow to flush infection out of the body.
- Some children are more prone to getting UTIs, and low dose antibiotics can help.
- Treatment of constipation also helps.
- In babies and small children, changing diapers more often can help prevent UTIs.
- When children start toilet training, it is important to teach them good bathroom habits. After each bowel movement, girls should wipe from front to rear — not rear to front. This keeps germs from spreading from the anus to the urethra.
- Children should also avoid “holding it in” if they need to urinate and can reach a bathroom.
- Urine sitting in the bladder too long gives bacteria a good place to grow.
Diagnosis
If you think your child has a UTI, call your health care provider. The only way to diagnose a UTI is with a urine test. Your health care provider will collect a urine sample. The method your health care provider uses will depend on your child’s age and maturity. If your toddler is not toilet-trained, your health care provider may simply attach a plastic bag to your child’s skin to collect the sample. If your child is older, you may be asked to help catch the sample as your child urinates