Atopic dermatitis of infancy and urinary tract infections.
BACKGROUND
Infants under evaluation for atopic dermatitis (AD) at our clinic undergo a battery of examinations that include urinalysis and urine culture tests with antibiograms. The prevalence of cases with significant bacteriuria and leukocyturia (SBL) appeared to be unexpectedly high.


OBJECTIVE
This study attempts to establish whether infants with AD should be suspected of having a higher prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTI).


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of urine and urine culture tests was performed in 131 infants (84 males and 47 females) aged 1-24 months with untreated AD and in 1,327 control subjects (621 male, 706 female) aged 1-24 months.


RESULTS
SBL was present in 27.5% of cases versus 3% of controls (p < 10(-5)). After routine treatment for AD and antibiotic treatment on the basis of a urine antibiogram, the recurrence rate of SBL, evaluated monthly over a 6-month period, was only 8.3%.


CONCLUSIONS
Infants with AD might be at a greater risk for developing UTI, and when treated for AD this risk might be reduced.
Oggero
R
R
Department of Pediatrics, University of Turin, Italy.
Monti
G
G
Fiz
A
A
Tonetto
P
P
Mostert
M
M
D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000652:urine