Children too suffer from UTIs

Nov 29, 2010

TEN-year-old Davis Higenyi had complained of abdominal and back pain for one month. His doctor diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection (UTI). His mother was shocked that a child could suffer from a UTI.

By Halima Shaban

TEN-year-old Davis Higenyi had complained of abdominal and back pain for one month. His doctor diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection (UTI). His mother was shocked that a child could suffer from a UTI.

But Dr. Amos Odiit, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, says this is not strange. Out of 100 children who go to Mulago Hospital, 14 are diagnosed with the infection. It is common among boys six months and below and girls six months and above.

A UTI is a bacterial infection in the urinary tract. Odiit says most UTIs in children are caused by E. coli bacteria, normally found in stool. The bacteria usually move from the anus to the urethra and end up in the bladder or sometimes in the kidney, causing infection.

A child can also pick the infection from an unclean potty or soiled diaper and sharing a toilet with adults.

Kidney infections are the most serious type of UTI. If not treated quickly, the infection can damage the kidneys, resulting in high blood pressure and kidney failure.

Charles Mukisa, a medical officer, says UTIs are less common among children compared to adults. Most UTIs that occur during childhood are lower UTIs (infection of the lower part of the urinary tract, which includes the bladder and the urethra). Only 3% of young girls, and 1% of young boys, develop an upper UTI (infection involving the kidneys, ureters and bladder).

Odit says UTIs occur more frequently among girls, particularly those undergoing toilet training, because a girl¡¦s urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. Uncircumcised boys and children with low immunity are also at risk of developing the infection.

He says it is difficult to diagnose a UTI in children, especially those below one year because they cannot express the way they feel. Mukisa cautions parents not not to ignore symptoms such as abdominal pain because it could be a sign of a UTI. A urine culture test is carried out to ascertain whether it is a UTI.

UTIs can be treated and the risk of complications is low. However, prompt diagnosis and treatment is important. Parents should do check-ups after treatment because the disease may resist the drugs prescribed.

If a child has a normal urinary tract, you can protect him or her from developing a UTI by encouraging regular trips to the toilet. ¡§Make sure children take plenty of drinks and teach them how to clean up after using the toilet, to keep bacteria from entering the urinary tract.

After every bowel movement, girls should be encouraged to wipe from front to rear to prevent germs from spreading from the rectum to the urethra.

Mukisa says children should also be taught not to hoard urine because urine that remains in the bladder gives bacteria a good breeding ground.

Signs and symptoms also depend on a child¡¦s age.

¡§If a child is aged about one, he or she might present with fever or convulsions. If the child is a little older, they may have abdominal pain and backache,¡¨ he says.


Symptoms of a UTI
Ć Pain and a burning sensation when urinating
Ć Frequent urination
Ć Bedwetting
Ć Lower back pain
Ć Abdominal pain in the bladder area
Ć Foul-smelling urine
Ć Vomiting

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