Pediatricians' group updates guidelines on UTIs in babies, kids
As many parents know, urinary tract infections (UTIs) can strike babies and young children, too. Recently, the nation's leading pediatricians' group issued its first update since 2011 on diagnosing and treating these infections.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released updated guidelines for diagnosing and treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children from 8 days to 5 years of age. This is the first major revision since 2011. The guidelines urge that any child 2 months to 5 years old with an unexplained fever be tested for a UTI within 72 hours of fever onset.
UTIs are a common bacterial infection in infants and young children, with up to 7% of girls and 2% of boys experiencing a UTI by age 6, and 30% of cases recurring. Diagnosis involves assessing symptoms and conducting urinalysis, and a shorter course of antibiotics (seven days or fewer) is recommended. Longer courses are only advised for infants, difficult-to-treat cases or high-risk children.
The guidelines emphasize that each case should be treated based on the unique needs and symptoms of the individual patient, through a shared decision-making process that considers the patient's and caregiver's values and preferences.
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