Urinary symptoms in child sexual abuse

Many common genitourinary complaints may be related to sexual abuse. We report five patients referred to a Pediatric Nephrology Clinic who demonstrate some of the symptoms and signs caused by abuse, such as dysuria, genital and urinary tract infections, voiding dysfunction, and genital trauma. Difficulties in eliciting histories are described. Although these genitourinary complaints may be due to a variety of etiologies, sexual abuse should not be overlooked. Suggestions for a management approach are made.