What is Infant Urinary Tract Infection ?
Urinary Tract Infections occurs commonly in children due to lack of cleanliness in the private parts. Urinary Tract Infection is the infection of the urinary tract which includes two kidneys, bladder, two ureters and a urethra. It’s caused by bacteria and the child experiences extensive pain while passing urine. The urine has foul smell too.
Urinary Tract Infection in Children
The kidney does the job of cleaning up the waste from the blood and passes the waste as urine through the ureters and bladder. While urinating, the muscles at the end of the bladder relax and let the urine come through the bladder. When a bacterial infection occurs, this process doesn’t carry on and the child experiences pain while urinating.
Symptoms
- Foul smelling urine
- Frequent urination and in small quantities
- Blood passing along with urine
- Excessive pain while peeing
- Unclear and cloudy urine
- Fever followed by chills
- Pain in the back or the stomach
- Pain below the ribs.
Symptoms 1 to 5 are signs of bladder infection and Symptom 8 are a sign of kidney infection.
Treatment
If the child is not able to bear the pain, then parents must consult a doctor. A doctor would take urine sample of the child and test it with a special stick to detect presence of infection. Change in color of the stick indicates presence of infection. Before giving the urine sample, care should be taken to clean the area to avoid the germs in the body getting into the urine sample. Normally these germs are harmless but in the urine sample may give an incorrect result in the laboratory tests.
If its bladder infection, then simple medicines would be prescribed. While on medication, the patient must avoid caffeine in food or drink to not aggravate the infection. For kidney infection, the person will be hospitalized for a few days and medicine will be administered through the veins
Prevention
- Cleanliness is important to avoid all diseases. Private parts should be cleaned regularly and every time after passing urine.
- Bathing every day is important.
- Should pass urine whenever there is an urge to pass and not to hold it back especially for long hours
- Drink lots of water and cranberry juice. Water would help to clear out the bacteria and cranberry juice would protect from another bacterial attack
- Bubble baths should be avoided as they can irritate the urethra
- Using underwear made of cotton to absorb sweat and prevent irritation
- Change underpants every day