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[Bacteriological urine analysis as part of check-ups on children. A retrospective study from general practice]
Insights
This study found a 14.2% rate of asymptomatic bacteriuria in preschool children during routine health exams. The high infection rate suggests a need for further prospective research into pediatric urinary tract infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Clinical Microbiology
- General Practice
Context:
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria screening in children during routine preschool health examinations.
- Utilized urine collection via adhesive bags or midstream clean catch.
- Initial screening by dipstick (stix) and culture at general practice.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in preschool children.
- To assess the effectiveness of general practitioner-led screening and treatment protocols.
- To determine the rate of significant bacteriuria requiring further microbiological analysis.
Summary:
- A retrospective analysis of 658 urine samples from 208 children over 12 years.
- Identified asymptomatic bacteriuria in 14.2% of children (30/208), with 5.3% of samples positive.
- Higher infection rates were observed in the first two years of life.
Impact:
- Highlights a significant prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the pediatric population.
- Suggests current screening methods may detect a notable number of infections.
- Motivates the establishment of a prospective study to confirm findings and optimize management strategies for pediatric urinary tract infections.
Abstract:
This paper presents a retrospective study of asymptomatic bacteriuria from general practice. The general practitioner had screened children's urine specimens for asymptomatic bacteriuria at the eight regular health examinations during preschool age. The urine was collected in special adhesive bags or as a midstream clean catch and investigated by stix and culture at the practitioner's. When significant bacteriuria was noted, a new urine sample was collected for analysis. If asymptomatic bacteriuria was again noted, the culture plates were sent to a microbiological hospital department for determination of bacterial type and antibiotic resistance. The children were subsequently treated with a relevant antibiotic. The material collected during 12 years consisted of 658 urine samples obtained from 1295 examinations of 208 children. Thirty-five samples (5.3%) were positive, and 30 of the children presented at least one positive sample (14.2%). Most of the positive samples were obtained during the first two years. However, the material is too small to obtain statistically positive results and must due to its retrospective nature be interpreted with care. Nevertheless, the high rate of infection in our study motivates the initiation of a regular prospective study.