Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Children
Urinary tract infection symptoms in children who are younger (such as infants) may include high fever, irritability, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and not thriving. Symptoms of urinary tract infection in older children may include painful urination, frequent urges to urinate, and pain in the abdomen and pelvic area. In the case of urinary tract infection, symptoms in children may not be obvious, especially if your child cannot tell you how he or she feels. Therefore, it is important that children receive careful evaluation if a urinary tract infection is suspected.
Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Children: An Overview
Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Infants and Young Children
If your child is an infant or only a few years old, the signs of a urinary tract infection may not be clear, especially if your child cannot tell you exactly how he or she feels. Symptoms may include:
- High fever
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Low-grade fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Not thriving.
If your child's urine smells unusual or if your child has a high temperature and appears sick for more than a day without signs of a runny nose or other obvious cause for discomfort, he or she may need to be checked for a bladder infection.
Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Older Children
Symptoms of a urinary tract infection in older children may include:
- Pain in the abdomen and pelvic area
- The need to urinate often
- Pain under the side of the rib cage, called the flank, or low back pain
- Crying or complaining that it hurts to urinate
- Producing only a few drops of urine at a time
- Difficulty controlling urine (urine may leak into clothing or bed sheets)
- Urine that smells unusual or looks cloudy or red.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Add this article to your Favorites
Email this article
Print