Urinary Tract Infections

Treatment

Treatment of urinary tract infections in children involves antibiotics, bladder training and surgery.

Antibiotics

Medications are the first step in treating UTIs in children. Sometimes starting a child on one antibiotic is necessary until the laboratory results (a urine culture) identify which type of bacteria is causing the infection; then a different antibiotic may be prescribed.

Children need to take the prescribed antibiotic for as long as the physician advises, even if they start feeling better before they finish the medicine.

Children with recurrent UTIs, especially if they have anatomic abnormalities, may also need to take low-dose antibiotics for an extended period to help prevent recurrent infections.

UTIs that progress to a kidney infection may require more aggressive treatment in the hospital.

Bladder Training

A series of exercises to help strengthen and train the bladder may also be an option. Children are encouraged to drink plenty of water and urinate often (not holding it).

Vesicoureteral reflux is a congenital condition which can be corrected by surgery.

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Surgery

An operation may be required if the child has an anatomic abnormality called vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), a congenital condition in which urine flows backward from the bladder to the ureters and sometimes reaches the kidneys. Many children outgrow this condition but, for those who do not, surgery is required to reattach the ureters to the bladder to eliminate the backflow.

Surgeons at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota offer a minimally invasive surgical approach to VUR, which involves injecting a gel-like substance into the wall of the bladder near the ureters. The substance creates a small bulge that prevents urine from flowing backward. This is an outpatient procedure; the child receives general anesthesia, but can go home the same day and can usually resume normal activities the next day.

Mayo Clinic urologists take a conservative approach to doing surgery, and perform, on average, 50 VUR procedures each year.