Causes in infants and toddlers
Urinary tract infections occur frequently in small children and babies because they wear diapers and thus the urethra comes into increased contact with excrements from the intestine. This offers the opportunity for the intestinal bacteria to settle in the urethra and cause a urinary tract infection. In addition, small children in particular are not yet able to consciously retain their urine.
Prolonged targeted urination could flush the bacteria out of the urethra. In contrast, small amounts of urine often pass through the urinary tract in small children and babies, so that the bacteria cannot be flushed out so easily. In the so-called phallic developmental phase, children are at further risk of urinary tract infections.
In this developmental phase (fourth to fifth year of life), children recognize the differences between the different sexes and are therefore fascinated by their own sex. This can lead to increased touching of their own genitals with their fingers, which in turn can cause pathogens to settle in the urethra. In boys there is also another cause of urinary tract infections if they suffer from a narrowing of the foreskin (phimosis).
The foreskin cannot be completely retracted, making hygienic cleaning under the foreskin difficult. This can cause pathogens to settle there and also cause urinary tract infections. Diabetes mellitus is the technical term for diabetes.
The body is not able to absorb a sufficient amount of sugar from the blood, which is mainly due to a lack of efficacy (type II diabetes, adult-onset diabetes) or a reduced amount (type I diabetes) of the body’s own insulin. If the sugar concentration in the blood exceeds a certain level, the sugar is excreted via the kidneys. This causes the urine to become sweeter and sugar molecules to settle in the urinary tract.The sugar is literally “found food” for bacteria that work their way up the urinary tract and cause a urinary tract infection.
Which pathogens come into question?
The most common pathogens in urinary tract infections are natural intestinal bacteria. These are excreted in the stool and thus reach the outlet of the urethra. From there, they can enter the urethra and rise to the bladder, causing a urinary tract infection.
80% of urinary tract infections are therefore caused by the bacterial strain Escherichia coli. Other intestinal bacteria that frequently cause urinary tract infections are Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiellen. Less frequently, urinary tract infections are caused by intestinal bacteria such as Enterococci, Staphylococcus and Ureaplasma urealyticum.
Adenoviruses are also a common pathogen in children. In addition to intestinal bacteria, bacteria that cause sexually transmitted diseases can also cause urinary tract infections. These include the
- Gonococcus (pathogen of the “gonorrhea” or gonorrhea infection),
- Chlamydia and
- Treponema pallidum (causative agent of syphilis infection).
