---
title: "Urinary Tract Infections in Children"
url: https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/u/urinary-tract-infections-in-children/
description: "A UTI is when bacteria gets into your urine and travels up to your bladder. As many as 8 in 100 of girls and 2 in 100 of boys will get UTIs. Young..."
---

# Urinary Tract Infections in Children

A UTI is when bacteria gets into your urine and travels up to your bladder. As many as 8 in 100 of girls and 2 in 100 of boys will get UTIs. Young children have a greater risk of kidney damage linked to UTI than older children or adults.

Archived from the 2024 edition

## Overview

The "urinary tract" is the organs in your body that make, store, and get rid of urine, one of the waste products of your body. Urine is made in the kidneys and travels down to the bladder through the ureters (the tubes that join them). The kidneys make about 1½ to 2 quarts of urine a day in an adult, and less in children, depending on their age. In children, the bladder can hold 1 to 1½ ounces of urine for each year of age. For example, a 4-year-old child's bladder can hold 4 to 6 ounces - a little less than a cup.

The bladder stores the urine until it is emptied through the urethra, a tube that links the bladder to the skin, when you urinate. The urethra opens at the end of the penis in boys and in front of the vagina in girls.

## In this entry

The archived page carried these sections, in this order.

- How Does the Urinary Tract Work?
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Vesicoureteral Reflux
- Urinary Obstruction
- Can UTIs be Prevented in Children?
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- After Treatment
- Kidney and/or Bladder Ultrasonography (Ultrasound)

## Other entries in Pediatric and Congenital Urology

- [Ambiguous (Uncertain) Genitalia](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/a_/ambiguous-(uncertain)-genitalia/)
- [Cloacal Abnormalities](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/cloacal-abnormalities/)
- [Cloacal Exstrophy](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/cloacal-exstrophy/)
- [Congenital Vaginal Obstruction](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/congenital-vaginal-obstruction/)
- [Cryptorchidism](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/cryptorchidism/)
- [Epispadias](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/e/epispadias/)
- [Hypospadias](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/h/hypospadias/)
- [Meatal Stenosis](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/m/meatal-stenosis/)

### Source of this entry

- Original address**/urology-a-z/u/urinary-tract-infections-in-children/**
- Edition**2024 edition**
- Group**Pediatric and Congenital Urology**

### This is not medical advice

These pages are archived reference copies of material published on this domain. They are not medical advice, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for talking with a health professional.

### Related topics

- [About OAB](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/its-time-to-talk-about-oab/about-oab/)
- [Overactive Bladder: Patient Guide](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/overactive-bladder/)
- [Urologic Conditions](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urologic-conditions/)
- [Educational Materials](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/educational-materials/)

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