What tests are needed for urinary tract infection in children?

Children with urinary tract infections need to undergo routine urine tests, urine bacterial culture tests and imaging tests to confirm the type, extent and possible causes of the infection and to develop a reasonable treatment plan.

1. Urinalysis

Urinalysis is a basic test for diagnosing urinary tract infection, and it can be used to preliminarily determine whether there is a urinary tract infection. When a child is infected, the urine may show elevated white blood cells, positive nitrites, or increased red blood cells. Parents need to follow the doctor's instructions to collect a mid-stream clean urine sample from the child and send it to the hospital for testing. Sometimes the doctor may require a repeat test to confirm the accuracy of the initial test results.

2. Urine bacterial culture test

Urine bacterial culture is to identify the pathogenic bacteria of the infection and their sensitivity to antibiotics. Culture requires placing the urine sample in a specific medium and identifying the bacterial species by observing the growth of microorganisms. This test is particularly important for children's infections, as it can guide doctors to choose the most appropriate antibacterial drugs for treatment. If the child is young and cannot urinate on his own, the test can also be completed through sampling methods such as catheterization or bladder puncture.

3. Imaging examination

If a child has recurrent urinary tract infections or infections accompanied by fever and other symptoms, imaging tests can help doctors understand the structure and function of the urinary tract. Common imaging methods include ultrasound, renography, and excretory urography. Ultrasound is noninvasive and can be used to observe whether there are abnormalities in the kidneys, bladder, etc., such as hydronephrosis, urinary tract obstruction, etc. If the ultrasound suggests that there may be anatomical abnormalities, the doctor may recommend further use of excretory urography to obtain more detailed information.

To avoid delaying the disease, if your child has symptoms such as frequent urination, painful urination, urgent urination, or peculiar urine odor, you should take him/her to the hospital for relevant examinations in a timely manner, and at the same time give him/her plenty of water and avoid holding urine, etc. If the urinary tract infection can be identified and treated as soon as possible, the prognosis is usually good. After the examination, parents should follow the doctor's advice and choose a scientific and reasonable treatment plan for their children.