Article Text
Abstract
Background and aims The term urinary tract infection (UTI) in neonates implies a significant bacteriuria with symptoms of systemic infection. The gold standard for diagnosis of UTI is urine culture taken in sterile conditions.
UTI incidence in general population of neonates is 0.1–2%, increasing significantly to 10% when it comes to at-risk-newborns, especially prematurely born ones. During the neonatal period, UTI incidence is higher in boys than in girls.
Objectives To determine the incidence of UTI in high-risk infants, the most common causes of infection, and estimate which infants will require further urographic examination.
Methods Analysis included infants with UTI who were hospitalised at the Centre for Neonatology, from 01.01.2011. to 31.12.2012.
Results From 01.01.2011. to 31.12.2012, total of 1504 newborns were hospitalised at the Centre for Neonatology. UTI was verified in 85 newborns, which is 5.6% of hospitalised newborns. 64.7% of the affected were male. Most common cause of infection was E. Coli, while Klebsiella species was the second most common. UTI are more common in term newborns, while in preterm low-birth-weight-newborns UTI is mainly manifested within sepsis. Pathological ultrasound finding of urinary tract was found in 15% of the examined neonates.
Conclusion Considering the fact that among the newborn population with UTI there is a significant number of children with urinary tract anomalies, which are risk factor for development of chronic pyelonephritis or reflux nephropathy, later leading to chronic renal failure and hypertension, proper detection and timely treatment of UTI in the neonatal age is of grand importance.