Bladder and kidney infections (urinary tract infection - UTI) are common in children, especially girls. They cause an uncomfortable illness that can include vomiting, fever and tiredness. In some children kidney damage may occur, as can repeat illnesses. With repeated infections the risk of kidney damage increases. Some doctors prescribe long-term antibiotics to try to prevent infections recurring, but this may cause the child to be unwell in other ways, e.g. vomiting. This review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) found evidence that long-term antibiotics did reduce the risk of more symptomatic infections but the benefit is small and must be weighed against the likelihood that future infections may be with bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic given.
Long-term antibiotics for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in children
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Published Online:
March 16, 2011
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