Antibiotics Ineffective, Problematic in Kids with Urinary Tract Infections: New Study
Antibiotic treatment for kids with urinary tract infections (UTIs) appears not only to be ineffective, but potentially harmful, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Though recurrent UTIs can lead to potentially dangerous kidney problems in children, the most popular current treatment -- daily antibiotics -- appears to be ineffective. Worse, the regular dose of antibiotics can give rise to antibiotic-resistant infections, which pose more difficult medical challenges in later years. The ineffectiveness of the drug treatment was observed even in kids with bladder reflux (a condition in which urine occasionally flows backwards to the kidneys). In a second finding, researchers determined that kids with bladder reflux were no more prone to UTIs than other children; a finding that contradicts longstanding medical belief.
The researchers reviewed Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to track the treatments of children in the study, and the number of infections subsequent to the treatment. They note that by age six, 70,000 to 180,000 U.S. children born in a given year will suffer from a UTI.
If your child is taking antibiotics for a UTI, or suffers from recurrent infections, contact his or her physician for more information.
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