NICE Guidance on Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) in Children

Published in 2007, this guidance booklet offers information for families including: standards of care, explanations of UTI’s, treatments and investigations.

The booklet describes UTI’s as a bacterial infection of the urinary tract. These infections need to be treated quickly to stop them affecting your childs kidneys.

Symptoms can include some of the following;

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Tiredness
• Irritability
• Not feeding well
• Not gaining weight properly
• Jaundice (infants only)
• Pain when passing urine
• Needing to pass urine frequently
• Wetting
• Tummy pain
• Pain in the side
• Unpleasant smelling urine
• Blood in the urine

If a urine test is positive then your child will be treated with antibiotics. Babies under 3 months will be referred to a paediatric specialist and your child may be given intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment. For babies and children over 3 months, where the infection does not involve the kidneys, you will probably be given oral antibotics. Children with a kidney infection may need to stay in hospital

Your child may be sent for further tests following the UTI – this could include an ultrasound scan to check the kidneys and bladder are working properly. There are other tests that may need to be done.

To read the full publication visit:

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG54publicinfo.pdf

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