Urinary tract infections (UTI)

Upto 3% of boys and 1% of girls may get a UTI in childhood. After appropriate antibiotics, all children need to undergo an ultrasound of their urinary system. The younger the child , the higher the chances that there will be an abnormality found, and therefore below the age of 1 year a DMSA scan and a cystogram are also needed.

Sadly, UTIs are often missed in the first few years of life and some children are only picked up later with scarred kidneys. Conversely, if urine is improperly collected a false diagnosis of a UTI may be made and the child subjected to unnecessary investigations.