Objective:

This study was conducted to evaluate the demographic and clinical features, and radiologic findings of children between 0-14 years old with first urinary tract infection (UTI).

Material and Methods:

Our study included 97 children admitted to our emergency and outpatient clinics, between 01/02/2004 to 03/06/2004. The cases were classified as group1 (1-12 months), group 2 (13-60 months) and group 3 (>60 months). Data belonging to this study were evaluated by using Ki-square and Kappa corelation tests in SPSS 13.0 software.

Result:

Female/male ratio was 3,21. Mean age was 53,5±39,5 months (1-145 months). While patients in group 1 presented mostly with nonspecific symptoms like fever (62,5%) and irritability, older children presented with more specific symptoms like abdominal pain, polyuria, dysuria. Fever was found in 41,7% of patients younger than 1 years old. E. coli was the leading etiologic agent (78,4%) in all patients and was significantly high regarding to other pathogens in patients older than 1 years (p<0.0001). Klebsiella (20,8%) was the second most common etiologic agent in patients younger than 1 years old. Abnormal ultrasonographic (USG) imaging findings were encountered in 62%, 52% and 30% of cases in group 1, 2 and 3, respectively. There was no statistical relation between either the presence of fever and renal parenchymal damage or the presence of fever and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in voiding cystoureterography (VCUG).

Conclusion:

Early detection and treatment of UTI is important due to high morbidity . Since infants 1-12 months of age with UTI present mostly with fever, UTI should always be ruled out in infants with fever. It should be emphasized that every children less than 1 years of age with first UTI should have an urinary USG.

Keywords: Urinary tract infection, ultrasonography, voiding cystoureterography