A Study of Urinary Infection in Childhood, with Reference to Its Incidence as a Complication of Other Diseases

Dickie, Alice E (1938) A Study of Urinary Infection in Childhood, with Reference to Its Incidence as a Complication of Other Diseases. MD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

An investigation was made of 310 children admitted to hospital for treatment of a variety of conditions and the following facts were noted 1. The total incidence of urinary infection among these children was found to be 13.8%. 2. Urinary infection was found to occur four times more frequent in girls than boys, and the incidence was highest below the age of a year. 3. The condition frequently follows gastroenteritis, especially in infants. It is not a common complication of other diseases, and when it occurs, tends to run a mild course. 4. Normal urine, collected under aseptic conditions, contains not more than one leucocyte per high power field. During infection of the urinary tract this count is increased, but is not necessarily high. 5. The coliform bacillus is the infecting organism in the majority of cases. 6. Pyelitis is rare in children. The lesion most frequently present is bilateral suppurative interstitial pyelonephritis, 7. The pH of the urine shows no constant changes, either before the onset of urinary infection or during its course. 8. The symptoms of pyelonephritis vary according to the age of the child. 9. Important factors in the production of urinary infection are constipation, diarrhoea, purgation and a state of dehydration. 10. Chronic and recurrent cases may be due to congenital or acquired abnormalities of the urinary tract. 11. A moderate leucocytosis, due to an increase of the poly-nuclear neutrophils, was found to occur during the acute stage of the disease. 12. Haemolytic streptococci were isolated from the throat in a large number of cases of acute pyelonephritis. 13. The mortality rate from urinary infection was 16.2%. Where pyelonephritis was the primary condition the mortality was 10%. The largest number of deaths occurred in infants below the age of one year, and where the condition occurred as a complication of gastroenteritis. 14. The methods of prophylaxis and treatment are discussed.

• Item Type: Thesis (MD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Medicine, Epidemiology, Pathology
• Date of Award: 1938
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1938-80130
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 03 Mar 2020 08:47
• Last Modified: 03 Mar 2020 08:47
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/80130