BMJ 1994;309:1512 (3 December)

Letters

Consider severity of abnormalities

EDITOR,--Linda Pead and Rosalind Maskell found urinary infections to be much commoner in children than is generally believed.1 They rightly point out a considerable logistic problem if all children are to be investigated, as is generally recommended.2 Although they did not investigate all cases, their figures suggest different risks of underlying renal disease for the different ages at presentation. Thus a newly diagnosed abnormality was found in 20 of 626 cases for girls aged 6-12 (1 in 31). In 27 of the 66 girls with a newly diagnosed abnormality, however, the abnormality was minor and would not be disastrous if missed; so a major abnormality was found in 1 in 43. Although readers are not given details, I suspect that the more severe defects (severe reflux, reflux with scarring, obstruction) were more likely to be present in the children under 5.

What would help address the debate over logistics is . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Study of urinary tract infection in children in one health district
L Pead and R Maskell
BMJ 1994 309: 631-634. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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