Parents are often worried if they find mucus in their urine. In some cases, this does not mean any disease, while in others it is urgent to consult a doctor.
Normally, the baby’s urine contains a small amount of mucus, which serves as a natural defense of the bladder and urethra. There are goblet cells in the bladder membrane that produce mucus.
Thanks to mucus, the excretory tract is protected from uric acid and infectious agents. The presence of mucus in the urine of a child can be seen visually only if its amount is greatly increased.
Physiological reasons
With the full health of the child, his good appetite and calm mood, urine mixed with mucus should not cause anxiety. Most likely, villi or strands of mucus in the urine are caused by care errors when hygiene measures are performed poorly. However, there are physiological reasons when, with excellent care, mucus in the urine of the child is still visible.
| Cause | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| Prolonged urine in the excretory tract | The consequence of taking certain medications or the child’s habit of enduring, especially during the period of accustoming to the pot. Sometimes mucus is found in the morning urine, especially if the baby has slept for a long time |
| Dysmetabolic renal impairment | They occur with insufficient water consumption, especially in the heat, this is the initial sign of dehydration. May be at high temperature during respiratory illness. The condition occurs with a thickening of the blood caused by various reasons. |
| Phimosis in boys and vulvovaginitis in girls | The increment of the foreskin in boys leads to the fact that the head of the penis does not completely come out, and dirt and bacteria accumulate in the folds. Inflammation of the genitals in girls is caused by the ingestion of Escherichia coli and other opportunistic microorganisms that normally live on the surface of the skin, mucous membranes and inside the digestive canal |
It is impossible to determine the amount of mucus in the urine “by eye”, this is a subjective assessment. At home, you should observe the composition of urine during the day – after washing, drinking water and juices, after eating and walking. If you give more water, then in a healthy baby the amount of mucus in the urine will decrease.
In what cases does mucus indicate pathology?
Urine with mucus should alert if there is a lot of it, as well as other impurities. Urine may become cloudy, its color and even smell may change. Such changes indicate that there are a lot of bacteria and products of inflammation in the urine that develops in the child.
Be sure to pay attention to the general condition of the child in order to catch the first signs of a possible disease. The baby can become moody, irritable or lethargic, weak. He may refuse to eat, be sick, or may lose interest in his favorite toys or activities.
Particular attention should be paid to body temperature. It is necessary to measure it at least in the morning and in the evening, it is better for several days in a row. Be sure to calculate how many times a day the baby goes to the toilet, and compare this with the usual frequency. If at least a few of the above signs are found, you should not pull with a visit to a doctor. With all sorts of suspicions, diapers are removed, reusable diapers and diapers are used.
Some diseases do not violate the behavior of the child, the changes concern only urine. Therefore, when changing the color of urine, the appearance of impurities in it and a large amount of mucus, you should quickly consult a doctor.
Pathological causes
Urine with mucus in a child can appear with diseases of the excretory system – urethritis, cystitis, in rare cases, pyelo- and glomerulonephritis.
Urethritis – inflammation of the final urethra or urethra. In young children is rare, but still happens. The causes are infectious and non-infectious. The baby can become infected with all infections that are sexually transmitted – ureaplasma, Trichomonas and others through common towels and dirty hands, bedding. Sometimes the cause of perineal injuries – bumps, bruises. The most important symptom is pain during urination. The baby begins to cry and be capricious, touches the perineum with his hand, because each urine output is accompanied by pain. The frequency of urination increases, and urine is excreted in small portions.
Cystitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder of an infectious nature when bacteria, viruses or fungi get inside the bladder. In order for microbes to begin active reproduction, the body must be weakened. Weaken babies hypothermia, vitamin deficiency, decreased immunity, treatment with certain drugs (sulfonamides).
Young children are not able to correctly assess the ambient temperature. They continue to play on the cold floor or swim “to the blue”, not realizing that it was time to warm up a long time ago. Girls are sick more often than boys, because their urethra is wide and short, it is easier for the pathogen to rise into the bladder.
In infants, a rare diaper change can cause mucus in the urine.
Pyelonephritis or purulent inflammation of the kidneys occurs in babies often, this is the second most common disease after acute respiratory viral infections. Children under 5 years old are at risk, older ones are less likely to get sick. Most often, such children have a sick relative at home.
Pyelonephritis is caused by microorganisms – normal inhabitants of the digestive tract, which, for some reason, have got into the kidneys. These microorganisms typically rise into the kidneys from the bladder. Children become lethargic, their appetite decreases, their temperature rises, and there are no signs of a respiratory disease.
It all starts with a urination disorder, it can become rare or become more frequent, pain can join. Sometimes urinary retention occurs against a background of high temperature.
Glomerulonephritis or inflammation of the renal pelvis and calyx develops most often with autoimmune problems, after suffering a sore throat, scarlet fever, pharyngitis, which were caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus of group A. In these diseases, cross-immunological reactions are formed when the immune tissues are perceived by the immune system as foreign, and an active struggle begins with them.
After recovering from a sore throat and other similar diseases, for some time, doctors monitor the immune system to prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases of the rheumatoid spectrum. Such kidney damage can begin in early childhood, but with treatment sometimes recovery occurs after the end of adolescence.
Which doctor should I go to?
First of all, you need to consult your pediatrician who knows a child from birth. The pediatrician is usually knowledgeable about the family situation and may suggest the cause of the appearance of mucus in the urine.
If the secretion of mucus is accompanied by high fever and lethargy, develops acutely, it is urgent to call an ambulance. The on-site team usually does not have the diagnostic ability to determine which part of the urinary system has been affected, so hospitalization is suggested. No need to refuse, so as not to put the baby at risk. If the cause is not serious, then they are discharged quickly after the examination.
With stubborn secretion of a large amount of mucus, especially when there is turbidity in the urine and the color changes, it is most reasonable to contact a pediatric nephrologist who will quickly understand the situation.
Diagnosis of the disease
The leading place belongs to laboratory and instrumental diagnostics. Normal mucus counts in a urine test are indicated as: “traces”, “+” or “1”. If the indicators are higher – “2” and more – you should not immediately panic.
In the vast majority of cases, the reasons are as follows:
- the child was poorly washed, especially for boys with phimosis;
- urine collection dishes were dirty;
- a portion of urine taken after a long sleep;
- the prepared urine in the container has been in a warm place for longer than 3 hours.
With a poor analysis, you must first retake the material, having previously fulfilled all the requirements. A urine container is best bought at a pharmacy, it costs a penny and is used once. You need to try to urine in the laboratory for 2-3 hours. You can’t store it longer, the result will be unreliable.
The doctor may prescribe:
- general analysis of urine and blood;
- functional renal tests – most often according to Nechiporenko, shows the ability of the kidneys to concentrate urine;
- determining the amount of kidney-specific protein Cystatin C (3), the most accurate marker of glomerular filtration;
- sowing bacterial flora.
In urine tests, not only mucus can be detected, but also red blood cells, protein, a large number of salts. With a poor analysis, the doctor may prescribe instrumental methods – ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder. Older children sometimes require MRI, X-ray and cystoscopy or an examination of the urinary tract using endoscopic techniques. In children, most instrumental examinations are performed under anesthesia.
Treatment
Depends on what the child is really sick with. It is impossible to give the baby alone to the baby – many medicines are contraindicated for them, and only the doctor can calculate the dosage. What is suitable for an adult can poison a baby. Herbs and plant gatherings, which grandmothers love so much, also need to be agreed with the doctor. There are no harmless means, both plant and chemical, all have side effects.
The fact that parents can do it when a large amount of mucus is excreted in the urine is necessary, after consulting a doctor, to eliminate the factors that led to the disease. It is necessary to normalize 3 things: nutrition, drinking regime and temperature of the room in which the child grows.
The Chinese say that young children get sick from eating disorders – so it is. Children have a tremendous supply of vitality, they are protected by nature. It is only necessary to create the child optimal environmental conditions so that the disease goes away.
Sometimes there is no illness at all, and frightened and poorly informed parents take mucus in the urine for something terrible and begin treatment with various drugs. In the best case, medication may not work, in the worst it can hurt. Therefore, for any suspicion of pathology, you must consult a doctor.
