Bladder Infection in Children

A bladder infection may also be referred to as a urinary tract infection. It has its occurrence, as the name suggests, in the urinary system. According to surveys, the number of children in the United States who fall victim to this condition, comes up to a figure of 3% and annually, pediatrician visits accounts for 1 million. Boys seem to be less vulnerable than girls are. There is no solid reason as to why females are more prone to this disease. Experts believe that the cause may be their short urethra (about an inch and a half long). The urethra is a tube that carries the urine out of the bladder. So due to its short length, bacteria can easily make their way, through it, into the bladder.

Bladder infection in children can be more severe than when it affects adults. This is because kids do not always remain aware about any symptoms they might be experiencing from it. And this makes it likely for the parents to miss out on the symptoms, as well. Bladder infection, if left untreated may give rise to critical kidney problems and in some cases, may also become a threat to life.

Symptoms

Symptoms of any medical condition become the most difficult to detect when they affecting small children. What parents may look for include high fever, poor eating and increased irritability. These bladder infection signs may mimic those of other medical conditions. So, whatever the case is, once such symptoms arise, children must be diagnosed and treated by a pediatrician.

Affected kids may not seem healthy, may have nausea or vomiting and their urine may smell foul or different from normal. If fever seems to stay for more than a day, without accompanied by runny nose or cough, then it may indicate a bladder infection.

The symptoms of bladder infection in older children are no different from what adults experience. They would have a strong and frequent urge to urinate and may experience a burning sensation while urinating. Although urges to urinate may be frequent, but urine would be passed in small amounts. Cloudy urine or a strong-smelling urine is also one of the classic symptoms of the infection. Affected girls may experience pain in their pelvic areas, while boys may have the pain in rectal area. Kids might also complain about a pain that occurs under the side of the rib cage and they might also find it difficult to control their urine and might wet their clothing or bed sheets. Apart from the urine being cloudy, it might also have a red appearance, probably due to presence of blood in it.

Causes

Bacteria that stay around the skin of the rectum and genitals, may sometimes make their way into the urinary tract and urine. The urinary system is designed to prevent invasion of such pathogens. However, sometimes the defense system fails and the result is a probable infection. Kids may not realize that it is important to urinate immediately they feel the urge. Holding urine for a prolonged period of time causes bacteria to grow and trigger infection. This also causes a malfunction in the working of the bladder muscles, causing them to empty incompletely.

Treatment

Antibiotics make the first line of treatment for bladder infection. The course of the medication depends upon the type of the infection and its severity. Within a few days of the treatment, the symptoms usually clear up. However, medication may still be continued to prevent any recurrences and a complete eradication.

Home Remedies

Cranberry juice has been known to be a popular home treatment to reduce the symptoms of bladder infection. Even drinking blueberry juice, lemon juice, combination of coconut water and citrus juice and watermelon juice helps.

Aromatherapy using a number of essential oils is also used to ease the symptoms. Taking baking soda mixed with water or vinegar with water, are among the easily available remedies at home. For taking care of the abdominal pain, place a heating pad over the area.

Encourage you kids to drink plenty of water (at least 8-9 glasses everyday) and educate them about the benefits of doing so. Parents must ensure that their kids do a proper cleaning after bowel movements and keep their anal or vaginal area dry. A warm and moist environment serve to be an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria to grow and thrive, causing a full-blown infection. Make your kids wear loose cotton clothing as such materials encourage airflow. Also, it is advisable to avoid any products which can irritate the urethra.