WHAT IS PEDIATRIC UROLOGY?
Pediatric Urology is an area of medicine dealing with diseases of the urinary tract and genital tract of children. A wide range of both congenital and acquired conditions of varying severity are encountered by the pediatric urologist.
Pediatric Urology is an under-served field in our country. There are many children with pediatric urological conditions who need treatment for it but do not get it. Some of the reasons for the treatment gap in Pediatric Urology are
- Parents do not know that treatment is available
- Parents do not feel the need to seek treatment especially for conditions such urinary incontinence in children
- Treatment is not accessible, especially for patients living in the outskirts who may find it a hassle to travel to city hospitals
- Many children with an underlying urological condition are asymptomatic or present with non-specific symptoms such as fever or vomiting
- Parents may fear the side effects of treatment
“Much of the clinical challenge intrinsic to pediatric urology rests in the need to discriminate between children at risk for severe long-term complications and requiring intervention and the larger group who are not.”
Strategic Plan for Pediatric Urology. NIDDK Research Progress Report
Department of Health and Human Services. 2006.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Publication No. 06-5879
WHO IS A PEDIATRIC UROLOGIST?
A pediatric urologist devotes majority of their practice on urological conditions involving children, and adolescents. They would have received additional training in the field after completion of either urology or pediatric surgery postgraduate training. A pediatric urologist would be able to make a diagnosis and provide medical and surgical treatment of both congenital and acquired conditions involving the genito-urinary system.
Common pediatric urological conditions include
- Peeing blood
- Hydronephrosis
- Urinary tract stones
- Bladder dysfunction
- Urinary incontinence
- Urinary tract infection
- Scrotal conditions such as pain, swelling, or absent testis
- Abnormal foreskin and penile appearance in conditions such as phimosis, buried penis, and hypospadias
