Various infectious diseases of the urinary tract are characteristic not only of the adult population, they are often found in children. One of these pathologies is urethritis. In children, the disease is more often observed in boys than in girls, and all because of the structural features of the genitourinary system. Urethritis is an inflammatory process localized on the urethra (wall of the urethra).
Disease classification
There are several types of classification of pathology, in particular, according to the nature of the course:
- acute form, characterized by sudden onset of pain during urination, accompanied by false urge to go to the toilet;
- chronic form, is the result of an untreated acute form of the disease.
According to the factors provoking the development of urethritis in children, there are several types of the disease.
| Bacterial | Microbes become a provocateur |
| Candidiasis | The fundamental factor in the development of this type is a fungus from the genus Candida |
| Allergic | For this urethritis to develop, the urethral mucosa needs to be exposed to the allergen |
| Post Traumatic | The disease is the result of an injury, for example, after surgery or non-traditional sexual pleasures |
Also, there are primary and secondary urethritis, in which an infection or bacteria enters the urinary canal from other organs, through the blood or lymphatic tract, that is, in fact, it is a complication of another disease.
Causes of pathology
The risks and causes of urethritis in children are much greater than in adults, since the child's body is much more vulnerable and harder to resist infections.
Doctors identify a number of main reasons:
- Hypothermia, it is unacceptable to dress the baby in the wrong weather or allow a long stay in a draft.
- Insufficient hygiene procedures, in other words, the baby should always have clean diapers and dry diapers. Children should be taught to wash their hands before and after going to the toilet. The kid should learn from a very young age to wash regularly. In 85% of cases, the development of urethritis in children is associated precisely with non-compliance with the usual rules of hygiene.
- Infection inside the womb. This is a fairly rare occurrence, but still occurs in medical practice. Pathology may appear if the mother during the period of gestation inpathogens in the genitourinary system;
- Weakened immunity. This reason is also quite rare and is typical for children under 3 years old. It is during this period of life that the activity of blood cells in babies is still very low, so they are not able to protect the body from infection. In this case, only microbes or viruses that directly cause an inflammatory process on the urethral mucosa can act as the causative agent of the disease.
- Chronic diseases. This means that if there is any infectious or bacterial disease in the child's body, microbes can constantly penetrate the urethra and thereby become a source of inflammation.
Characteristics of the course of the disease
Symptoms of urethritis in a child largely depend on the type of urethral lesion, age and gender, as well as the duration of the disease. Although doctors still identify a number of symptoms that can generally characterize the pathology.
First of all, when urinating, the child feels discomfort, up to itching and irritation. Toddlers are disturbed by frequent urges. Girls may complain of itching in the internal genital organs. Boys may complain that after emptying their bladder, they feel burning and itching in the penis.
Children of both sexes may have discharge that is mucus or purulent, even with blood in it. The smell of such secretions is usually unpleasant and pungent. Some children even have a fear of going to the toilet, asthey are afraid that there will be pain again. Perhaps there will even be an involuntary delay in the act of urination. Very rarely, but still, there are cases when a child also has signs of a viral disease, that is, the general state of he alth worsens, the temperature rises.
Diagnosis
Before determining how to treat urethritis in a child, the doctor interviews the baby and parents. One of the important indicators is lifestyle and the presence of chronic pathologies. After collecting an anamnesis, it is required to undergo some examinations and an examination by a highly specialized doctor. Boys visit a urologist and girls visit a gynecologist.
Smear microscopy, ureteroscopy, urethrography, bacteriological culture, ultrasound and other studies are performed. All diagnostic methods are used that can give a complete picture of the child's he alth.
Treatment measures
Therapy is prescribed depending on the form, provocateurs and symptoms of urethritis in children. Treatment for the most part involves taking antibacterial drugs and drugs that increase the body's immune forces. Local treatment is also quite justified: douching, baths with special formulations. It is usually prescribed for the acute form of the disease.
Drugs
The choice of the drug depends entirely on the cause of the development of the disease, the form of the pathology. If we are talking about candidal urethritis in children, then "Clotrimazole" or "Fluconazole" may be prescribed. The main drugs for treatment in childhood are"Cefix", "Augmentin" and "Cefalox". Immunocorrectors are also prescribed, it can be "Kameton" or echinacea. Depending on the factors that influenced the onset of the disease, in addition to standard drugs, medications can be added that relieve the inflammatory process: Cystan or Urolesan.
It is most difficult to find medicines when urethritis in a child of 3 years or younger. Then the choice of antibacterial agents is very small. If the clinical picture makes it possible to refuse them, then the treatment is carried out with immunomodulators, vitamin complexes, anti-inflammatory drugs and antiseptics. But such treatment is still possible, provided that the disease does not have an infectious nature of origin, that is, urethritis appeared on the background of hypothermia, or there was an injury earlier.
Treatment of an allergic form of pathology occurs with the help of antihistamines, it can be Zirtek, Zodak or Fenistil. As a rule, hospitalization for the fight against urethritis in childhood is not required.
Therapy with herbal medicines
Traditional medicine recipes are well suited as an adjunct treatment for urethritis and cystitis in children. You can use mono-recipes and multi-component herbal preparations. With these diseases, sage, chamomile, horsetail and bearberry are suitable. You can make a collection of aloe and chamomile, this will improve the functioning of the immune system. Cranberry juice and black currant can be added to the herbal tea.
It will not be superfluous to use baths (sitting). They may contain calamus, mint, St. John's wort and juniper. Such procedures can be done three times a day, duration - 20 minutes. The course is about a week.
What else can parents do to help?
In addition to treatment with traditional drugs and herbal medicine, it is necessary to provide the baby with dietary nutrition during treatment. Pickles, smoked meats, fatty and fried foods should be eliminated from the diet. Throughout the day, the child should drink enough water, as it will allow you to quickly remove all microbes from the bladder and body. In the acute form of the disease, until the inflammatory process is reduced, the child must be provided with bed rest.
Possible Complications
If left untreated, urethritis can become chronic. In such cases, any weakening of the immune system will lead to a new inflammatory process in the urethra. Against the background of urethritis, other diseases may appear: kidney pathology, cystitis, vaginitis, urinary incontinence. In the future, both girls and boys may have problems conceiving a child.
If we talk about the good, then in cases where the disease is detected on time and the correct treatment is carried out, the child will not have any he alth problems in the future.
