White blood cells are the white blood cells of our immune system whose function is to protect the body from infections. If an excess of these blood cells appears in the urine, then there is an infection in the body. When it comes to children, a large concentration of leukocytes in the urine indicates, first of all, the presence of a disease of the urinary tract. So how do you determine if the white blood cells in the urine are above normal?
Signs and Symptoms
In order to understand that the child has too many white blood cells in the urine, you do not need to be a doctor, you just need to see indirect signs of infections.
Most infections are accompanied by symptoms such as difficulty or, on the contrary, rapid urination, which almost always goes along with cutting pain.
Another sign that the white blood cells in the urine is in excess is a change in the color of the urine or its consistency. So, urine becomes cloudy and a sediment appears in it. Also, the child may have a fever or the child may shiver. Abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting are often added to these symptoms.
However, in some cases, a urinary tract infection may not be felt at all, so it is extremely difficult to diagnose the disease. In this case, a white blood cell test is the only way to make a diagnosis.
How to determine the presence of white blood cells in the urine of a child
White blood cells in urine in children are determined by routine urinalysis. True, sometimes such analyzes can give an erroneous result. This happens if the child has consumed too much vitamin C or protein, if white blood cells from the genitals accidentally get into the child’s urine, if the urine was collected incorrectly or an insufficient amount was collected for analysis.
What to do if the level of leukocytes in urine is high
Most often, the presence of a high level of white blood cells in a child is associated with an infection of the bladder or an infection of the urinary tract. Fortunately, such diseases are easily treatable. Simply take a short course of taking antibiotics. After undergoing treatment, the analysis for leukocytes in the urine is repeated, and if the antibiotics were chosen correctly, then the level of leukocytes returns to normal.
In some cases, the doctor may prescribe an additional test called urine culture. Such an analysis can show which bacteria are resistant to antibiotic treatment.
White blood cells in the urine of an infant
In order to determine the state of health of an infant, urine is sometimes given for analysis. And, based on the indicator of the number of leukocytes in the urine, conclusions are drawn about how certain organs of the child work. If the level of leukocytes is deviated from the norm (for girls it is from zero to six units, but for boys it is slightly less - from zero to four units), then we can say that the baby can have pathologies in the body.
In order to get the most accurate urine analysis, you need to collect it correctly. Adults usually have no problems with this, but babies will have to suffer. You can sit for hours on the baby and wait for him to pee, or you can try to provoke the release of urine. To do this, you can easily press on the suprapubic region with warm fingers. There are also special children's urinals. Of course, the urine collection container must be sterile. For analysis, only morning urine is needed.
If, as a result of the analysis, it was found that the white blood cells in the urine are higher than normal, this may indicate inflammatory processes of the urinary or genital tract. These can be diseases such as cystitis, prostatitis, urethritis, inflammation of the uterus, vagina or testicles. It can also be the presence of sand or stones, improper arrangement of organs, pyelonephritis and other pathologies.
Therefore, if you notice that your baby’s urine is not light yellow, without impurities, but cloudy, with mucus, sediment, and the like, you should immediately take a urine test for white blood cells. Because exactly how you are responsible for the health of your baby.
Be healthy!