2021-10-15 08:56:18
Urinary tract infection is defined by the presence of a infectious agent in urine associated with certain characteristic symptoms (frequent urge to pee, burning on urination, etc.). Common in adults, it is rarer in children and may go unnoticed at first. However, you have to learn to spot the signs to take care of it quickly.
Urinary tract infection in babies: what is it?
39°C on the thermometer for 24 hours, but no other apparent signs. Your child may have a urinary tract infection. “A urinary tract infection is simply inflammation of the urinary system of the child, related to bacteriasuch as Escherichia coli (but it is not the only one!)”, explains Dr Thomas Dailland, pediatrician in a hospital environment in Saint-Malo, and author of My child is sick, what do I do? at Editions Eyrolles.
“It could be a lower urinary tract infection at the level of the bladder, which is more commonly called cystitis, or an upper urinary tract infection, be higher up in the urinary tract,” he continues. This upper urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, is often associated with fever, an altered general state. “Fortunately, the doctor specifies, the fever puts us on the track quickly, so it is very rare to see complications on an infant.
Symptoms: How do I know if my child has a urinary tract infection?
A high fever
Difficult to instantly realize a urinary tract infection in the baby when he does not yet have the floor to describe his condition. “In infants, fever is the first symptom to observe. It is she who generally directs us towards a urinary tract infection. When it is high, about 39.5°C, persistent, that the paracetamol does not work for a long time and that no other call points appear, such as an ear infection, or a rash ».
A smell in the diaper
It is not the most classic or the most frequent sign, but during a urinary tract infection, a strong odor can emerge from l’urine in baby’s diaper. A detail to check.
More frequent trips to the toilet
In the case of a young child who is already going to the toilet or on his potty, a lower urinary tract infection can result in a more frequent urge to urinate.
There may also be unusual and frequent crying in the toddler as well as a loss of appetite.
How can a baby get a urinary tract infection?
The exact cause of a UTI can be difficult to detect. For the pediatrician, however, there are contributing factors depending on the age of the child, to be taken into account, which can lead to an infection.
The causes in infants
At the first age of the baby, there is sometimes a malformation in the infant which promotes reflux of urine from the bladder to the kidney (vesico-ureteral reflux or RVU), because of a small “non-return valve”, sometimes defective. This anomaly promotes infection.
Predisposing factors in older children
During the acquisition of cleanliness, several factors can promote inflammation in the foreskin in boys or the genital tract in girls:
- The constipation ;
- The fact of refraining from going to the toilet;
- THE urinary leakage;
- The lack of hydration during the day.
Girls, boys, same risks?
“In infants, we do not really observe a difference between girls and boys in the number of cases in the hospital”, explains the specialist. However, later shorter urethral system in girls may promote more infections” (source 1).
Urinary tract infection in babies: when to consult? How to react ?
For the pediatrician, everything depends on the age of the child “the question of urinary tract infection, it is the question of the fever above all, and how to manage it,” he recalls.
- Less than a month : we go to pediatric emergencies;
- For a child of less than 3 months : we consult our doctor within 24 hours following the onset of fever;
- Baby over 3 months : if the fever is well tolerated by the child, we can give ourselves 24 to 48 hours to consult if nothing changes, to observe if other symptoms appear (such as a rash that could suggest chickenpox or roseola). Of course, in the event that the child’s condition deteriorates, we consult his doctor immediately.
A urine test (ECBU) suitable for infants
In infants, the ECBU urine test (or cytobacterioligical urine exam) is however not necessarily obvious. Not painful, but less simple than a strip, it consists of installing a urinary bag in both boys and girls, after local disinfection. However, the pocket cannot remain in place for more than two hours and can still result in false positives. Sometimes you have to do it several times.
“In older children, as in adults, they are simply asked to urinate in a container in order to drop a urine dipstick. Finally, it is quite possible in case of doubt to go and ask for a laboratory test yourself “but you have to ask for a quick analysis of the results” advises Dr. Dailland.
What antibiotic treatment to consider for urinary tract infection?
On a high infection, several scenarios arise depending on the age of the affected child by infection.
- In a young infant, that is to say a child under three months, an upper urinary tract infection will be treated obligatorily in the hospital. A blood test, as well as a kidney and bladder ultrasound will be performed. A antibiotic treatment will be implemented intravenously;
- In the child of more than 3 monthss, antibiotics will be taken by intravenously or by mouth;
- In a child older, antibiotic treatment is by mouth.
On the other hand, for all these treatments, there is no single dose as in adults, but a treatment of 5 days or more depending on the severity of the symptoms.
How to relieve the child or avoid a recurrence?
In the event of a urinary tract infection, in addition to the treatment, several everyday prevention reflexes can be adopted to best relieve the child and avoid a new episode.
- Make the child drink enough. It is as much a gesture that will relieve him as a preventive rule. By encouraging the child to drink a lot of water, a small “flush” effect is created which avoids stagnation of urine and promotes elimination;
- Adopt good local hygiene in both boy and girl. “But be careful, the hygiene of the private parts should not be too pronounced or irritating, we will be satisfied with a mild soap”. In boys also, we no longer remove the cap when washing, specifies the pediatrician. Avoid bubble baths and scented soaps, which can be irritating;
- Fight against constipationgetting the child to drink enough and providing fiber.
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