pediatrics
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Children
Prognosis for UTI in Children
Properly managed children rarely progress to renal failure unless they have uncorrectable urinary tract abnormalities. However, repeated infection, particularly in the presence of VUR, is thought (but not proved) to cause renal scarring, which may lead to hypertension and end-stage renal disease. In children with high-grade VUR, long-term scarring is detected at a 4- to 6-fold greater rate than in children with low-grade VUR and at an 8- to 10-fold greater rate than in children without VUR. The risk of scarring after recurrent UTI (≥ 2 febrile episodes) is as high as 25%, or 10- to 15-fold greater than that in children with only 1 febrile UTI; however, few children will have recurrent febrile UTI. 