How to tell if your child is suffering from a UTI
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common childhood condition that can be serious. Here’s how to spot the signs.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) may not get as much airtime in the mom’s WhatsApp group as, say, tonsillitis or chicken pox, but according to Cape Town-based paediatrician Dr Phillip Coetzee, they’re common in children – especially girls. A UTI can take the form of a bladder infection, kidney infection or both. “When kids get recurrent urinary infections, they can cause damage to the kidneys, so it’s important to recognise the signs,” he says.
Signs of a UTI
Signs vary depending on the age of the child, per the journal American Family Physician. School-aged kids experience UTIs similarly to adults and if you’ve ever had one, you’ll know that means a world of discomfort – feeling an urgent need to urinate often and burning pain when they do. Dr Coetzee says additional signs to look out for in small children include:
Blood in the urine, which will turn it a pink colour
Changes in the smell of the urine
Fever and chills
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Pain the lower back or abdomen
Bedwetting or suddenly being unable to hold their urine in children who are potty trained.
Diagnosing and treating your little one’s UTI
As with adults, a UTI in a child is diagnosed by testing a sample of urine. If the child is potty trained, they can simply urinate into a cup. Babies may need to have a catheter inserted to extract a sample. If there’s a chance that the infection is in the kidneys, your child may need additional tests, such as an ultrasound of their kidneys.
UTIs are treated using a course of antibiotics and your little one should start to feel better within 48 hours. Babies may need to go on a drip – especially if they’re vomiting and unable to keep the medicine down.
How to help prevent UTIs
In healthy children with no structural abnormalities, most UTIs are caused by bacteria from faeces coming into contact with the urethra and moving up to the bladder or kidneys. You can help your child avoid this by teaching them good habits, says Dr Coetzee.
Don’t hold urine: Children should learn to go to the toilet when they need to, as holding urine allows bacteria to grow in the bladder.
Drink plenty of water: This flushes out the urinary tract, removing any bugs that may be hanging around in there.
Wipe from front to back: Girls need to be taught to wipe from front to back, whether they’ve made a number one or a number two in order to avoid faeces particles coming into contact with the urethra.
Treat constipation aggressively: Constipation is one of the most common causes of UTI in kids.
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