Urinary tract infection

What is a urinary tract infection?

A urinary tract infection is an inflammation of the urinary tract caused by bacteria.

The disease is more common in girls than boys.

If the infection affects the urethra and the bladder, it is called an infection of the lower urinary tract, or cystitis. If the infection affects the ureters, the pelvis or the kidney, or the kidney tissue, it is called an infection of the upper urinary tract or pyelonephritis.

The disease is caused by various types of bacteria, but the most common causes are intestinal bacteria such as Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella and Proteus.

In girls, the space between the anus and the urethral meatus (the opening of the urethra) is very small, so that intestinal bacteria are more liable to infect the urinary tract in girls than in boys.

Treatment / What you should do

You should consult your doctor if your child has contracted a urinary tract infection.

Take a fresh urine sample from your child when you go to see the doctor.

The easiest way to take a urine sample from a younger child is to use a urine bag. You can buy such bags at the drug store.

The doctor will examine the urine test for the presence of bacteria and signs of inflammation.

A cultured sample of the urine will identify the type of the bacterium causing the infection and thereby which the most effective antibiotic.

On the basis of your child's clinical picture, age and sex, the doctor will also be able to assess whether your child needs to undergo further examination in hospital.

Younger children displaying signs of pyelonephritis should be placed under hospital care. If your child is treated at home, make sure that he takes antibiotics according to the doctor's directions. It is important that your child completes the course of antibiotics.

If your child does not demonstrate significant improvement after a treatment lasting 2-3 days, you must consult the doctor again.

You must also contact a doctor if the child under treatment has a rising fever and if his general state of health worsens.

If your child experiences pain, you can give him pain-relieving medicine in the form of acetaminophen, and you should also encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids.