My daughter has been complaining of pain while urinating. I suspect a urinary tract infection (UTI). I don’t know whether I should consult a doctor right away, or wait for her to get better. How will the doctor confirm it’s UTI?
— Anonymous
Urine is sterile when it is formed but can develop bacterial infection if it stagnates in the bladder. Chronic constipation also triggers bacterial infections. Some children may not urinate as often as needed. They tend to hold on to their urine till it spills over. In rare cases, the valves in the urinary tract may be faulty.
If the doctor suspects a UTI, a urine sample is examined microscopically for bacteria and pus cells, and sent to the laboratory to culture the organism. Appropriate antibiotics will be prescribed for a period of seven-ten days. The antibiotics medication should not be discontinued without the doctor’s permission, even if the child is symptomatically better.
If she develops UTI repeatedly, then it is important to investigate further. Recurrent infection can cause permanent kidney damage and eventual kidney failure. More diagnosis tests such as an ultrasound of the kidney and bladder, a voiding cystourethrogram, CT scans or MRI need to be done. If any abnormality is found in the renal tract, it should be immediately corrected to ensure her long-term health and well-being.
My 12-year-old daughter has just begun attending in-person classes. I have strongly advised her to follow Covid-19 appropriate behaviour in school. How can she ensure her hands are sterile at all times in school?
— Riddhima Sinha, Bangalore
Regular hand washing is critical to prevent infection of any sort, not just Covid-19. Here are some important health and safety protocols your daughter/family should follow:
• Use elbows to turn on the water tap as microorganisms of another user could be lurking on it.
• Teach her to first wet hands and wrists, then work the soap into a lather and rub vigorously for 15 seconds, making sure to wash under the nails. Rinse hands thoroughly under a stream of running water.
• Use a clean personal towel to dry hands. Or just let them dry on their own.
• Turn off the water tap with the elbow.
• When a washbasin is not available, sanitiser should be rubbed between the palms, ensuring sanitisation of spaces between the fingers.
My children don’t have any breathing difficulties but I have grown up with friends and cousins who suffered from asthma — my sister’s son has also been diagnosed with mild asthma. I want to protect my children from this affliction. Please advise.
— Suma Varghese, Trivandrum
Keep your house free from dust and ensure it is free of cigarette smoke and vaporising mosquito repellents. Regular exercise and maintaining a healthy BMI (body mass index) also helps.
I am glad to read that your sister’s son has only mild asthma. Asthmatics are unable to control their respiratory muscles. This can improve with simple actions such as regular steam inhalations, yoga breathing exercises, martial arts training, structured aerobic exercise, cycling, running and swimming. Teaching children to play a wind musical instrument also improves vital lung capacity.
(Dr. Gita Mathai is a well-known Vellore-based paediatrician and author of Staying Healthy in Modern India)
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