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Urology (Expert Forum)
Circumcision, UTI's and Vesicoureteral reflux
Questions in the Urology forum are answered by Dr. Stephen Liroff, affiliated with the Henry Ford Hospital. Topics covered include benign prostate disease, penis curvature, cystisis, kidney stones, pediatric urology, prostate, sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections (UTI), and urological cancers.
Circumcision, UTI's and Vesicoureteral reflux
by Gina__0__0, Apr 18, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Gina on April 18, 1999 at 18:35:06
I have a 9 month old son who recently had a uti(spiking a 107 degree fever)due to e-coli in his urine...upon meeting with the pediatrician this week, we expect to be told to get an ultrasound and other testing done to determine if he has reflux...my question is..my son was not circumcised...is there a correlation between his getting uti's and not being circumcised..also, then, if he has reflux, should he be circumcised in order to minimize his risk of g etting uti's? I had felt very comfortable with our decision not to circumcise, however, if I were to have another son, would it be better to have him circumcised given the possibility of experiencing what my son now is going through?
Posted by HFHS M.D.-SAL on May 10, 1999 at 16:47:41
Dear Gina,
Thanks for your thoughtful question. Your looking to the future.
There is reportedly a decreased incidence of urinary tract infections in circumcised males during the first 5 months of life. In the face of reflux, antibiotic prophyllaxis is required.
I would not advocate circumcision on the UTI basis alone. If your hypothetical new son were to get a UTI within the first six months, then I would consider such a procedure. But, again, prophyllactic antibiotics would likely be adequate. If your nine month old has reflux (and I think that there is a high likelihood of this), so may present and future siblings (brothers/sisters) and definitely should have some work-up...at least a renal ultrasound and urinalysis).
This information is provided for general medical information purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. The Henry Ford Hospital Department of Urology has experience in the evaluation and treatment of problems such as you describe. We would be most interested in helping you. You can reach us through our toll-free number 1-800-653-6568. We can also arrange local accommodations through this number if this is your need. Please bring any x-rays (not just the reports) as well as any physicians’ notes and lab test results that you may be able to obtain. These will help us greatly.
Hope that everything works-out well.
Sincerely,
HFHS M.D.-SAL
*keyword: reflux, circumcision
