Differential Diagnosis for Pediatric Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are common in children, with as many as 6 percent of girls and 2 percent of boys getting UTIs, according to the American Urological Association Foundation. Symptoms of urinary infections in children include frequent and painful urination, and foul-smelling urine. Infants may become fussy and have a low-grade fever and poor appetite while older children may have accidents and complain of back or stomach pain.

Irritants, inflammation

• Differential diagnosis for urinary tract infection for girls include vulvovaginitis and foreign body in the vagina. Vulvovaginitis is typically due to irritants such as soap, bubble bath or self-exploration. In boys differential diagnosis for urinary tract infection include epididymitis or inflammation of the epididymis.

Viral infection

• Occasionally, cysititis (bladder infection) is caused not by bacteria but by a virus, such as the adenovirus. In such cases the treatment include prescribing anti-inflammatory medication and keeping the child hydrated.

Other conditions

• Less common differential diagnoses include pinworms (more likely to cause anal itching), urinary calculi (solid particles in the urinary system) and urethritis due to a sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia.

Identification

• A urine test must be done to diagnose a bladder infection in children. The method employed will depend on the age of the child, whether by catching a sample, or collecting it with a tube inserted in the urethra. A urine culture may be done as well, which will involve several days time to see what grows in the lab from the sample.

Considerations

• While urinary tract infections are often simple to treat, it is important that they are treated appropriately and properly to avoid kidney infection and scarring, poor growth or function of the kidneys, and high blood pressure.