Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder by bacteria, most commonly Escherichia coli. “Very often little girls refrain from peeing. However, when urine stagnates, the bladder contracts, which promotes the proliferation of bacteria, ”explains Professor Merrot. “Constipation is another contributing factor, which leads to the proliferation of bacteria. The origin of lower urinary tract infection can also be the presence of pinworms (worms). By scratching, the little girl will carry bacteria. Little boys can get a urinary tract infection as well, but it’s much rarer. “Because the urethra is longer in them, the bacteria have a longer distance to travel before reaching the bladder. “

“Urgent and frequent cravings, burning during urination”, and when the child is on the toilet, he only pees a few drops … Cystitis is not pleasant! Sometimes the child is in so much pain that he can hold back urinating. Smelly urine, cloudy or with traces of blood, can also lead to cystitis. Sometimes the child wets his sheets at night when he was clean. At the first signs of a urinary tract infection, encourage your child to drink plenty of water. This can sometimes be enough to stop an incipient cystitis.

In the presence of symptoms, it is better to consult without delay. Already to relieve your child’s discomfort. Then to avoid possible complications. The doctor will first prescribe a urine test strip, to be placed directly in contact with the urine. If the result is positive, an ECBU, in other words, a cytobacteriological examination of the urine, will then be carried out, to find out the responsible bacteria, and to be able to prescribe the right antibiotic.

If the symptoms and fever persist after 48 hours, you will have to consult again.

If the ECBU result is positive, “antibiotic treatment may be prescribed, over five to seven days. As with adults, there is no single dose treatment. It is important to follow the treatment until the end, even if the symptoms disappear quickly, to avoid recurrence. But the child can of course go back to school as soon as he feels better, since the urinary tract infection is not contagious.

Exceptionally, urinary tract infection may be linked to a malformation of the urinary tract. From the third episode, an ultrasound can be performed to eliminate this track.

Complications are very rare, but serious. Hence the importance of treating a lower urinary tract infection, in order to prevent it from degenerating. “When these low infections come back, they can reach the kidney. It’s pyelonephritis. We then speak of high urinary tract infection, or febrile, since fever, intense, is one of the symptoms. The child has severe pain in the back and has chills. We must rush to the emergency room, to prevent the problem from degenerating into sepsis. Your child will spend a few days in the hospital, to receive antibiotic treatment with an infusion.

“The most important thing is to understand why the child has a urinary tract infection,” insists Professor Merrot. “If constipation is the cause, for example, we will treat it, because it is a contributing factor. To avoid recurrence, the child will often need to change his behavior. Thus, the little girl must learn to empty her bladder well. It sounds obvious, but it is not always. “He must be encouraged not to force, and to take his time. “

For this, she must be well installed when she goes to the toilet, possibly with a stool to put her feet. Another essential habit, “good hydration, all day long. We recommend 45 to 50ml / kilo / day. »That is to say, for a little girl weighing 20 kilos, one liter of water per day. This helps dilute the urine, thus preventing bacteria from stagnating in the bladder for too long. For the same reason, she should not hold back too long from going to a wee. Because bacteria multiply in the bladder if you wait too long. In the toilet, so as not to “carry” germs, she will wipe herself back and forth, never in the opposite direction. So many little habits that can make a big difference.