|
For two days, Hannah has been in and out of the hospital. She’s
on antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, but, “The fact
that she continued to have fever, vomiting with dehydration and
elevated white blood cell count made us concerned,” explains
Dr. David Goo.
Concerned because she is not getting better, concerned that the
infection may have spread to her kidneys. “Nobody in the
family has kidney stones or kidney problems?” Dr. Goo asks.
In fact, her aunt has bladder reflux, a condition that causes urine
to back up into the kidneys-often resulting in an infection.
“With the family history of urinary tract infections, we
were that much more concerned that Hannah might have reflux and
a significant infection, too,” says Goo. Based on this, he
admits her to the hospital, and hopes that tests will be more revealing.
An ultrasound is taken of her kidneys and bladder. “Okay,
we’re looking at the right kidney,” explains the technician, “here,
measures 9.6 cm and she’s 3 years old, so she should measure
more around the 6-7 cm.” “Okay, so it’s bigger
than normal,” Dr. Goo clarifies.
They now know the infection has spread to her kidneys, and after
a culture of her urine sample, they now know the germ. “It’s
growing a germ called e coli,” the doctor explains, “and
we’ll be able to get the sensitivities to that, meaning we’ll
be able to decide what antibiotic is gonna kill that germ best.”
With the right antibiotic, she should improve. More tests will
tell is she has bladder reflux, which may require surgery to prevent
infections in the future. “You may end up with getting a
test called a VCUG, which is a Voiding Cystourethrogram,” says
the doctor, “They’ll put a catheter in the bladder
then shoot some dye up there to see if there’s reflux.”
|
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.
Recent statistics show that over 8 million doctor visits each year can be attributed
to urinary tract infections (UTI). Approximately 20 percent of women will develop
a UTI at some point during their lifetime. The percentages for men are lower,
but they can be more serious when they occur. UTIs typically occur when a bacteria,
usually E. coli, gathers at the opening of the urethra and then travels
to the bladder. If left untreated, the infection can make its way into the kidneys.
Some of the more likely candidates for UTIs include people with kidney stones,
men with enlarged prostrate glands, those with catheters, people with diabetes,
and infants with abnormalities in the urinary tract.
|
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.
Infants and children are not immune to
developing UTIs. Girls are more likely to develop them, however, because
their urethra is smaller than boys, allowing bacteria to reach the
bladder more easily. About 5 percent of girls will develop UTIs, and
most will occur around the ages of potty-training. Boys will typically
develop UTIs before they are 1 year old, and uncircumcised boys have a greater
chance of developing a UTI than circumcised boys. According to Dr. Alan Greene,
typical symptoms of UTIs include:
- Lower abdominal pain
- Increased urination
- Uncomfortable urination
- Tenderness over the bladder
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Fever
- Urine that smells or looks different than usual
- Fussiness
It can be hard to decide whether your child has a UTI. If you suspect
he or she may have one, make an appointment with his or her pediatrician.
If it is determined that your child has a UTI, the pediatrician will
likely place your child on antibiotics. In order to prevent UTIs, reduce
your child’s exposure to stool by changing diapers immediately
and encouraging your child to wipe from front to back after bowel movements.
You may want to have additional tests run on your child to determine
whether he or she has an abnormality in the urinary tract, which can
also lead to UTIs. |
