Burning sensation during urination, frequent urination, fever, chills, pressure sensation, severe abdominal pain, pain in the lower back, nausea, vomiting, blood and plus in the stool, and urinary incontinence are the symptoms of urinary tract infection in teenagers.

Early detection of urinary tract infection is very critical. You have to check for the signs and symptoms of this disease in your teen. If your son or daughter is suffering from urinary tract infection then in that case he/she will face a burning sensation during urination.

This is one of the primary symptoms of a urinary tract infection. Frequent urge to go for a pee is also another common symptom. Your child will be able to pass only a little amount of urine each time he/she visits the bathroom. He/she might also suffer from fevers and chills. Your child might suffer from pressure sensations.

There can be severe abdominal pain along with all the other symptoms. Apart from that there can be aching pelvis and also the lower back. Your teenager might be more nauseous than before. He/she might even throw-up on occasions. There can be signs of blood or pus in the urine. Urinary incontinence or involuntary urination or bed wetting can also happen due to this disease.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection in Teenagers

Due to the rapid changes of their bodies teenagers often forget to maintain their basic hygiene. That is why they fall prey to many infectious diseases in the form of urinary tract infection. Let us see the basic symptoms of urinary tract infection amongst teenagers.

Burning Sensation during Urination:

Passing urine will be a challenge by itself. Your son or daughter will suffer from tremendous discomfiture during urination. Initially it starts with mild burning sensation. However, it becomes unbearable after few days. (Hooton, 2015)

That is why you should alert your child to inform whenever they are having burning sensation during urination. Early detection of urinary tract infection is always desirable.

Frequent Urination

Since your child would not be able to pass the urine at one go, he/she will need to visit the bathroom more often than not. However, each time they go only a little bit of urine will be passed. (Hanna-Wakim, 2015)

So, check out whether your child is visiting the bathroom too frequently and ask him/her the reason for it. Detecting urinary tract infection in a teenager is much more challenging when compared to an infant, because the former has a private life. But if you are vigilant enough then it can be detected.

Fever

Due to the presence of the bacteria in the urinary track of your child he/she might suffer from fever. Frequent fever is a sign that your child is suffering from bacterial infestation. Fever accompanied by the previously mentioned symptoms will point to the fact that your teenager is certainly suffering from a urinary tract infection. (Hooton, 2015)

Chills

Even if your child does not have fever (in case his/her immunity is very strong) he/she will certainly experience some chilling sensation. There will some occasional shivering and the cold sensation running down the spine. These are the indications that there are bacteria inside your child’s system. Regular chills along with the above mentioned symptoms will definitely point towards a urinary tract infection.

Pressure Sensation

Your child might have some pressure sensation if he/she is suffering from urinary tract infection. There can be sudden pain and pressure in the bladder area of your child. It is more like a constant ache and unlike muscle contraction or cramp the pressure sensation will leave a dull pain throughout the tenure of the infection. (Shaikh, 2014)

Severe Abdominal Pain

A tremendous pain in the abdomen will necessarily indicate that your child is facing the punches of the urinary tract infection. In the later stages as the bacterial infestation take control over the intestine and urinary tract of your child, it will cause constant abdominal pain associated with cramps. (Hooton, 2015)  It is bound to give your teen some sleepless nights.

Similar pain will also happen in the pelvis area and he/she will find it difficult to urinate. Pain will also be faced during bowel movement.

Pain in the Lower Back

A constant dull pain will happen in the lower back portion of your child. This symptom can also happen at the early stages of the ailment and that is why it can easily be confused with a regular back pain. (Shaikh, 2014)

However, if your child is showing signs of lower back aching along with the above mentioned symptoms, then you should go for a test.

Nausea

Your teen will be a bit nauseous in the case of urinary tract infection. The bacteria will take its toll on the overall digestion and will eventually make your son or daughter weak from within. He/she will lose appetite and will refuse to have dinner or breakfast. Morning sickness is yet another sign that there is any kind of foreign elements taking control over their body.

Your child might faint on occasions. Unexplainable lowering of blood pressure is also another symptom suggesting urinary tract infection. The bacteria feed on the blood and for that reason it weakens the cells and also the digestive tract. So, even if your child feels a  little bit tipsy along with any of the above mentioned symptoms, then you should immediately take him/her to the doctors.

Vomiting

On occasions your child might throw up. He/she would not be able to digest anything properly and eventually will puke out the food. Bacterial infestation of the urinary tract essentially dehydrate the body and makes digestion impossible. That is why your child might also have severe stomach cramps on certain occasions. Look out for the lack of appetite and metabolism before anything turns serious.

Blood and Pus in the Stool

Undiagnosed urinary tract infection can lead to serious conditions like blood in the stool. The presence of blood or pus in the stool is mostly caused by the ailing intestine. The bacteria often feed on the outer surface of the urinary tract and the intestine of your child. That is why during the bowel movement the outer layers get injured and they bleed. This is a symptom of a matured and undetected urinary tract infection. This should be avoided at any cost. (Hanna-Wakim, 2015)

Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence or involuntary urination is one of the major symptoms of urinary tract infection in your child. This mostly happens when they are asleep. So, bedwetting can be a major indicator of this disease. He/she will have no control over the urination. The bladder will weaken and the urine will pass all throughout the day.

Apart from these look out for other symptoms like:

• Constant fatigue in your child
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Lack of sleep
• Dozing off during study hours

Look out for one or a combination of these symptoms in your child. Talk to him/her if necessary, in order to know the exact pain and discomfiture he/she is having during urination.

Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection:

Detection of the symptoms at the early stage of the disease is very critical in getting the proper diagnosis and eventual cure. Once you take him/her to the doctor’s the doctor might conduct two kinds of tests depending on his/her understanding of the criticality of the problem.

Urine culture is the basic test which is most certainly be done in order to determine the presence of bacteria in the urinary tract. In some cases the doctors might also incorporate a urinalysis assessment in order to detect the presence of white-blood cells in the urine. This indicates whether or not the kidney of your child is properly functioning.

Depending on the seriousness of the condition the doctor will prescribe certain antibiotics and certain dietary restrictions. The doctor will most certainly ask your child to increase the fluid intake as it will help in combating the bacteria.

Conclusion:

Urinary tract infection is a very serious ailment that can harm a teen’s life. Untreated urinary tract infections can stay in the dormant form in your child’s intestine and can gradually harm the kidney. This might physically damage him/her for his/her entire life. That is why the disease should be dealt with utmost seriousness.

Lack of hygiene or the wrong choice of urinal or both might cause this problem. With teens the problem is more persistent because they are not normally open about their discomforts to their parents. Suppressing a disease like this causes more trouble in the future. Look out for the symptoms and maintain a healthy communication with your child.

References:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/1891336?=utm_campai

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2015.00045/full