Symptomatic urinary tract infection in pediatric patients--a developmental aspect.

A group of children (112) at different phase of development, i.e. neonates, infants, preschool and school children were studied for symptomatic UTI. The most common clinical presentations were loin pain (56.4%), fever (50.0%), diarrhea and vomiting (47.4%) in school, preschool and infant groups respectively. In the neonatal group all patients presented with sepsis. In school children fever was more common in those with radiological abnormalities vs those without (p less than 0.005). In neonates intrauterine growth retardation was more common in those with radiological abnormalities (p less than 0.012). Radiological abnormalities were more common in male school children than in female (p less than 0.02). Renal scarring occurred mainly in school children whereas VUR occurred mainly in infants. As male children advance in age there is increased risk of radiological abnormalities. There is an increased percentage of E. coli as causative organism as age increases; from 48.3% in neonates to 74.5% in school children. We conclude that symptomatic UTI is age related in many aspect.