Related Experiment Videos
Epidemiology of symptomatic infections of the urinary tract in children
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland.
Insights
Symptomatic urinary tract infections in children decreased significantly from 1978 to 1984. This trend in pediatric urinary tract infections may be linked to evolving infant care practices.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The epidemiology of symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children is not well understood.
- Factors influencing the risk of pediatric UTIs require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs) among children under 15 in Finland between 1978 and 1984.
- To identify changes in the incidence and treatment of pediatric UTIs over a seven-year period.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Finnish National Board of Health discharge data for symptomatic UTIs.
- Analyzed Social Insurance Institution records for continuous treatment of recurrent UTIs.
- Calculated yearly rates of symptomatic UTIs and period prevalence of free treatment per 1000 children.
Main Results:
- A significant decrease in the yearly rate of symptomatic UTIs per 1000 girls (from 2.67 to 1.88) and boys (from 0.85 to 0.59) was observed.
- Period prevalence of free treatment for UTIs per 1000 girls significantly decreased (from 7.80 to 5.30), while no significant change was noted in boys.
- Findings suggest a declining trend in childhood symptomatic UTIs.
Conclusions:
- Symptomatic urinary tract infections in children appear to be decreasing.
- Changes in infant care practices may be associated with this observed decline in pediatric UTIs.
- Further research is needed to confirm the impact of healthcare policy and infant care on UTI trends.
Abstract:
The epidemiology of symptomatic infections of the urinary tract in children and the factors that may alter the risk of infection are not well known. Numbers of children aged under 15 discharged from hospitals because of symptomatic infections of the urinary tract during 1978-84 were obtained from the database kept by the Finnish National Board of Health. Information on continuous treatment for recurrent urinary tract infections was obtained from records kept by the Social Insurance Institution on patients receiving free medicines. The yearly rate of attacks of symptomatic infections/1000 girls decreased significantly from 2.67 (95% confidence interval 2.52 to 2.82) in 1978 to 1.88 (1.76 to 2.01) in 1984. In boys the rate also decreased significantly, from 0.85 (0.77 to 0.93) in 1978 to 0.59 (0.52 to 0.66) in 1984. The period prevalence of free treatment/1000 girls decreased significantly from 7.80 (7.55 to 8.05) in 1978 to 5.30 (5.10 to 5.51) in 1984 but did not change significantly in boys. Although the findings may partly have been caused by changes in policies of admission to hospital, they suggest a decreasing trend in symptomatic urinary tract infections in childhood, which may be associated with changes in the care of infants.