Urinary tract infections are very common and can be one of the most serious bacterial infections in children, and clinical signs and symptoms of the condition depends on the age of the child. Since most of the time children do not present with the typical symptoms that are seen in the adult population, a careful history will need to be taken by the provider to diagnose the urinary tract infection. This paper will present a case study of an adolescent female who was diagnosed with a urinary traction infection in an outpatient pediatric office.
Subjective Data
M.C. is a very pleasant 4 year old female who was brought to the clinic by her mother. She has been complaining of stinging and burning when she urinates for a week now that is not
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A urinary tract infection is more common in girls than boys that are greater than six months of age, and are common infections that are seen in pediatric office. Children that are diagnosed with urinary tract infections account for over one million annual office visits and 500,000 emergency department visits each year (Spencer, Schwaderer, McHugh, & Hains, 2010). Urine in the proximal urethra and bladder is normally sterile, so entry of bacteria into the bladder can arise due to normal voiding, voiding dysfunctions, catherterization, poor toileting hygiene, and sexual activity. Urinary tract infections develop when uropathogens that have colonized the periurethral area ascended to the bladder via the urethra. From there, pathogens can spread up the urinary tract to the kidneys or the blood stream, so prompt diagnosis and treatment should begin for the patient (Fisher, 2015). The most common pathogen causing urinary tract infections in adolescent females are fecal flora, most commonly E coli due to the close proximity of the anus to the vaginal