Urinary tract infections (UTI) are relatively common in children; about a third of young children with UTI have an abnormality of their urinary anatomy that may put them at higher risk of subsequent infections. It has been recommended practice to give these children daily antibiotics in low doses to prevent the recurrence of UTI, though there was not much evidence that this does prevent them
In a large study published this week, giving antibiotics to prevent recurrent infections was not shown to be effective. Daily antibiotics did not reduce the risk of recurrent UTI. The study also showed that younger children and children with more significant changes in their anatomy are indeed at higher risk of recurrent infections. The study also showed that while giving daily antibiotics did not reduce the risk of recurrent UTI, it did increase the risk that the infection would be caused by a drug-resistant strain. Therefore using antibiotics in this situation causes more harm than good, at least among the participants in this study. If further research finds the same conclusions, it is likely that this practice will change.
