Watching your child grow and develop is one of the most rewarding parts of parenting and as a parent, you most likely take all the precautions to ensure your child is healthy and safe. Parents usually are pretty intuitive when it comes to possible health problems, so paying attention to signs and symptoms is important. Did you know About 8 percent of girls and 1-2 percent of boys have had a UTI by the time they are 5 years old?
The health of your child’s urinary tract is essential for the healthy development and growth of their body. Urology issues can range from mild to severe, but when those symptoms are ignored, it could lead to serious problems. Here are some common pediatric urology issues and when you should seek help from a qualified provider.
What are Common Symptoms of Bladder Dysfunction?
Children with bladder dysfunction may have a range of symptoms. Common problems are:
- Daytime wetting: the loss of bladder control in grown children during awake hours. Daytime wetting affects up to 20 percent of 4 to 6-year-old children.
- Frequency: when a child has to urinate more than 8 times during awake hours.
- Giggle Incontinence: urine leaks out by accident with laughter.
- Hesitancy: difficulty starting or taking a long time to start urinating.
- Holding maneuvers: the child does things to avoid going to the bathroom, such as squatting, leg crossing or holding the genital area.
- Infrequency: when a child doesn’t urinate enough during awake hours (fewer than three times).
- Intermittent urine stream: the flow of urine occurs in bursts rather than a normal continuous stream.
- Post-micturition dribbling: leaks of urine that occur immediately from sitting position soon after going to the bathroom. This occurs primarily in girls. with either labial adhesions or when urinating while moving their legs.
- Straining: difficulty getting urine out (a child may have to push or strain to go).
- Urgency: a sudden, unexpected need to urinate.
- Weak urine stream: the flow of urine is weak or slow.
Diagnostic tests may include the following:
- Blood tests
- Cystometrogram, which measures bladder pressure at various stages of filling
- Cystoscopy, which is an examination of the bladder and ureter
- Intravenous pyelogram, which is a series of x-rays of the ureter and renal pelvis taken after injecting a contrast agent
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan)
- Renal scan
- Ultrasound (to detect blockage in the urinary tract)
- Urinalysis and urine culture (to detect UTI)
- Urodynamic studies, which measure the storage and rate of movement of urine from the bladder)
- Uroflowmetry, which measures urine flow
- Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG; used to observe the urinary tract before, during, and after urination).
The symptoms of these conditions may include fever; pain when urinating; blood in the urine or stool; painful urination with frequent urges to use the bathroom although every child is different and symptoms vary. The Michigan Institute of Urology is one of the longest standing and largest sub-specialty Urology practices in the State of Michigan, we are dedicated to providing our patients the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art urologic care. Our specialists have been recruited from the most sophisticated university centers in the United States and are available at all of our 22 office locations. Our administrative staff follows strict guidelines to ensure the most cost-effective medical care is provided. Michigan Institute of Urology, P.C., is compromised of 46 General and Fellowship Trained Urologists with a complement of compassionate, caring Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants, and Ancillary Personnel.
Sources:
https://www.urologyhealth.org/healthy-living/urologyhealth-extra/magazine-archives/spring-2016/did-you-know-pediatric-urology-101
