Sa. Dilks et al., FREQUENCY AND CORRELATES OF BACTERIURIA AMONG CHILDREN WITH NEUROGENIC BLADDER, Southern medical journal, 86(12), 1993, pp. 1372-1375
Bacteriuria is a common clinical problem among children with neurogeni
c bladder due to meningomyelocele or traumatic spinal cord injury. To
determine the frequency of bacteriuria among affected children at our
institution, we obtained 257 urine specimens from 105 children being s
een as outpatients for routine care over a 2-year study period. Specim
ens were obtained via catheterization. Almost half of these specimens
(110/257 or 43%) yielded positive results when tested for urinary path
ogens. To assess whether any characteristics of these children were re
lated to the likelihood of bacteriuria, we analyzed further a subgroup
of 46 children with normal renal ultrasonography from whom two to fiv
e specimens were obtained. There were no statistically significant ass
ociations between the likelihood of bacteriuria and the following char
acteristics: age, gender, socioeconomic status, level of spinal cord l
esion, voiding technique, and use of prophylactic antibiotics. Childre
n with neurogenic bladder are at high risk for bacteriuria. The pathog
enesis of this bacteriuria, its part in deterioration of the urinary t
ract, and the possible means of its prevention in this special populat
ion all deserve further study.