How do you treat VUR in children?

Most children with grade 1 to grade 3 VUR don’t need any type of intense therapy. The reflux goes away on its own over time, usually within 5 years. Children who have fevers or infections often may need to take antibiotic medicine and have periodic urine tests. They may also need surgery.

Can a child grow out of vesicoureteral reflux?

Primary VUR can get better or go away as a child gets older. As a child grows, the entrance of the ureter into the bladder matures and the valve works better. In children with primary VUR, the valve between the ureter and the bladder does not close well, so urine comes back up the ureter toward the kidney.

What is vesicoureteral reflux in pediatric patients?

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the result of abnormal formation of the normal valve between the kidney and bladder. This valve ensures that urine travels one way from the kidney to the bladder. If your child has VUR, the urine does move backward into the ureters and kidney.

Is VUR life threatening?

Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) itself is not life-threatening. However, VUR can lead to recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), which can result in renal scarring (kidney scarring) and then worsen into renal hypertension (high blood pressure caused by kidney disease) and renal (kidney) disease.

When do children outgrow VUR?

As a result, children with VUR develop urinary tract or kidney infections and have a higher chance for kidney damage . One out of 100 children may get VUR and are usually diagnosed around two or three years old . Luckily, many children outgrow VUR around age five or six, as their bladders and ureters develop .

How is VUR diagnosed in children?

VUR is diagnosed by a test called a voiding cysto-urethrogram (VCUG). A VCUG is usually done if: a child has had one UTI with fever and a kidney ultrasound shows a problem. an infant or young child under 2 years who has had 2 or more UTIs with fever.

Is VUR birth defect?

Primary vesicoureteral reflux. Children with primary vesicoureteral reflux are born with a defect in the valve that normally prevents urine from flowing backward from the bladder into the ureters. Primary vesicoureteral reflux is the more common type.

Can VUR be cured?

This type of surgery usually requires a few days’ stay in the hospital, during which a catheter is kept in place to drain your child’s bladder. Vesicoureteral reflux may persist in a small number of children, but it generally resolves on its own without need for further intervention.

How long does VUR surgery take?

This procedure changes the way the ureter is attached to the bladder. The surgery takes place in the hospital while your child is asleep and pain-free. The surgery takes 2 to 3 hours.

Is VUR inherited?

It is clear that in a large proportion of patients VUR is genetic in origin. Forty five percent of children with primary VUR are from families where at least one additional family member is affected, and often the disease occurs in two or more generations (10,14).