Urinary tract infections in children presenting with acute gastroenteritis

Abstract

Management of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) includes treatment of underlying infections as well, since AGE may be an atypical presentation of urinary tract infection (UTI). The present study was planned to study the prevalence of UTI in children presenting with AGE. Two hundred consecutive patients presenting with AGE at 2 months to 4 years of age to one center's emergency department over 1 year were evaluated for UTI. Of 200 patients, 103 were male and 97 were female. One patient had infectious diarrhea. One hundred and forty-one (70.5%) patients were febrile, 63 (31.5%) patients had mild dehydration, 107 (53.5%) patients had moderate dehydration and 30 (15%) patients had severe dehydration. Twenty-five (12.5%) patients had pyuria. Fifteen (7.5%) patients had positive urine cultures. One of these (6.7%) patients had a history of UTI in the mother and 5 (33.3%) patients reported a history of UTI in their siblings. Of 15 patients with UTI, 13 (86.6%) were girls; 5 (38.4%) had labial adhesions. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella were isolated in 4 and one cases in urine culture, respectively. UTI underlies 7.5% of children presenting with AGE.