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Published on: October 12, 2017
Childhood urinary conditions
1Queensland Child and Adolescent Renal Service, Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland. steven_mctaggart@health.qld.gov.au
Insights
Common urinary abnormalities in children require careful assessment. A thorough history, exam, and urinalysis help manage conditions and reassure families about minor findings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Clinical Pediatrics
Background:
- Urinary abnormalities are frequently identified in children.
- These can stem from diverse underlying conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide general practitioners with an overview of common childhood urinary abnormalities.
- To guide the investigation and management of these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive history taking.
- Physical examination.
- Urinalysis interpretation.
Main Results:
- Dipstick urinalysis can screen for, but not diagnose, urinary tract infections.
- Microscopic hematuria is rarely indicative of serious kidney disease.
- Non-postural proteinuria is a significant finding requiring specialist evaluation.
Conclusions:
- Initial assessment should prevent overlooking serious conditions and unnecessary tests.
- Asymptomatic children with minor urinary abnormalities have a low risk of significant kidney disease.
- Reassurance is often appropriate for families of children with minor findings.
Background:
Urinary abnormalities are commonly detected in children and can be due to a wide range of conditions.
Objective:
This article provides an overview of common urinary abnormalities presenting in childhood to assist general practitioners in planning further investigation and management.
Discussion:
An initial assessment based upon a comprehensive history, examination and urinalysis should ensure that serious conditions are not overlooked and that unnecessary laboratory studies are not performed. Urinary dipstick testing should not be used to diagnose a urinary tract infection, but can often be used as a screen to exclude one. Isolated microscopic haematuria is only rarely a sign of significant kidney or urinary tract disease and nonpostural proteinuria is a more important diagnostic and prognostic finding that requires specialist assessment. In the majority of cases, the family can be reassured that the risk of significant kidney disease in asymptomatic children with minor urinary abnormalities is small.
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