Relationship between Obesity and UTI in Children Under 2 Years of Age Admitted with Fever

Abstract

Purpose We observed an association between obesity and UTI in infants and pediatric patients, which we aimed to validate in this study. Method The medical records of 740 patients (≤24 months old) hospitalized with fever were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were subdivided into 2 groups, namely, the UTI and control (non UTI) groups. We analyzed the patient’s height, weight. Obesity was defined as weight-for-length ≥95th percentile, and the association between obesity and UTI was evaluated. Results Out of 740 patients, 253 and 487 patients were in the UTI group and the control group, respectively. A comparative analysis, based on 3 age groups (0–5 months, 6–11 months, and 12–24 months) showed higher proportion of obesity in the UTI group (26.4%) than in the control group (13.0%) in the 0-5months group. After adjusting for age and gender in the 0-5month group, the obesity group was 3.76 times likely to have an UTI (95% CI 1.419–9.98). Conclusion Obesity and UTI show strong association, especially in infants aged 0-5 months. Febrile obese infant patients (≤5 months old) visiting medical centers should be advised urine tests for potential UTI.

Keywords

• urinary tract infection
• pediatrics
• obesity