Why does a child have a fever and frequent urination?

Frequent urination is a common symptom in pediatrics and is also relatively common for children. But why do children urinate frequently when they have a fever? Urinary tract infection can cause fever and frequent urination. It is caused by bacterial infection and can occur in children of any age. In addition to fever, it is also accompanied by abdominal symptoms. Parents need to take their children to see a doctor in time and seek treatment as soon as possible to avoid more serious symptoms.

Urinary tract infection refers to the direct invasion of pathogens into the urinary tract, multiplication in the urine, and invasion of the urinary tract mucosa and tissues to cause damage. The vast majority of them are caused by bacterial infection. Urinary tract infection is a common infectious disease in children and can occur at any age. In the pediatric clinic, it is not uncommon to see parents bringing their children to see a doctor about bedwetting, or coming to ask about their baby's frequent urination and other problems. In fact, from a pediatric perspective, these problems are likely to be related to urinary tract infection, especially for baby girls, who need to consider whether they are related to this aspect of the problem.

Generally speaking, acute urinary tract infection is more common in adult women, but in fact, acute urinary tract infection in infants and young children is also not uncommon. For babies with urinary tract infection, fever is a major clinical manifestation. Newborns also have more or less digestive system symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, milk refusal, abdominal distension, jaundice, etc. Infants and older children may have abnormal urine or local irritation symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, pain, hematuria, and odor in urine. Because the clinical manifestations of urinary tract infections in children are complex and diverse, some are easily misdiagnosed or missed because of unclear local symptoms. If not diagnosed and treated in time, it can lead to renal parenchymal damage, chronic renal failure and hypertension.

Why do infants and young children also get urinary tract infections?

There are mainly the following reasons:

1. Immunity factors: Infants and young children have relatively poor immune function and relatively low defense ability. When they suffer from respiratory tract infection or skin infection, if the inflammation cannot be controlled in time, the bacteria will enter the blood and reach the kidneys with the blood, and then go down through the ureter, bladder, and urethra, causing infection;

2. Anatomical factors: Physiological phimosis and foreskin adhesion in male babies, as well as short urethra (about 1-2 cm) in female infants and young children, close distance between the anus and urethral opening, poor sphincter function, etc. These physiological and anatomical structures make the urethral opening of children very susceptible to bacteria, especially Escherichia coli contamination. Bacteria retrogradely enter the bladder, ureter, kidney and other parts, leading to acute urinary tract infection;

3. Not paying attention to the hygiene of the perineum: Children cannot control their urination and defecation on their own. In daily life, many parents, for the sake of convenience, directly put diapers on their babies without paying attention to regularly checking whether their babies have urinated or defecated. Therefore, the urethral opening is often contaminated by urine or feces. In addition, the characteristics of the baby's physiological structure make these bacteria gather around the urethral opening, giving them an opportunity to cause ascending infection through the urethra;

4. Abuse of antibiotics: Some parents ask for antibiotics as soon as their babies catch a cold or have a fever. Excessive use of antibiotics will increase the number of Gram-negative bacteria, especially Escherichia coli. In this case, the defense barrier around the urethra is destroyed, and the chance of bacterial invasion increases.

5. Others: Congenital malformation of the urinary tract, bladder-ureteral reflux, etc. are also a cause of urinary tract infection.

How should parents prevent urinary tract infections in children in daily life?

1. Keep the baby's perineum clean: diapers should be changed in time. It is best not to wear open-crotch pants and let the baby sit in dirty places. Clean the baby's buttocks after defecation, and clean from the urethra to the anus. This is especially true for baby girls. When cleaning a boy, you should pay attention to the folds of the testicular skin and the base of the thighs. For boys, you should fold up the foreskin when cleaning, but be careful not to damage the mucous membrane.

2. Rest in bed and let the baby drink plenty of water: After a child suffers from an acute urinary tract infection, he should pay attention to rest in bed and drink plenty of water. Drinking plenty of water can flush the urethra and plays an important role in preventing urinary tract infections. Therefore, parents should let the baby drink water, eat more light and nutrient-rich foods, and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.

3. Be alert to congenital urinary tract malformations in children: When the baby has repeated fever and the cause is unclear, he should be taken to the hospital for an examination as soon as possible to determine whether there are congenital urinary tract malformations. If the child's urinary tract structure is found to be abnormal, appropriate correction should be given in time, such as foreskin being too long, phimosis, hypospadias, etc., to reduce the chance of urethral infection.

4. Treatment must be thorough: Some parents always demand immediate results when treating their children. Once the child’s symptoms disappear, they think the child’s illness is cured, regardless of whether the treatment is thorough or not. They are perfunctory about the treatment plan formulated by the doctor, which often leaves a residue for the child’s illness, because the course of treatment prescribed by the doctor has a certain basis and is an important condition to ensure the efficacy. The purpose is to thoroughly cure the disease. Once a child suffers from an acute urinary tract infection, he or she should be treated with antibacterial drugs under the guidance of a doctor. After the symptoms disappear and the urine test returns to normal, the child should continue to take the medication as prescribed by the doctor. The course of treatment is 10-14 days, and the child is considered cured only after 2 to 3 urine tests return to normal. An untreated urinary tract infection may turn from an acute infection into a chronic infection, which may damage the child's kidney tissue.