Health Tip: Urinary Tract Infections Are Common in Children

Here are typical risk factors

(HealthDay News) -- By the time they're 5, about 8 percent of girls and up to 2 percent of boys will have had a urinary tract infection (UTI), the Nemours Foundation says.

The foundation says these factors can increase a youngster's risk of developing a UTI:

• Being female, especially a young girl who is toilet training.
• Being an uncircumcised boy, younger than age 1.
• Having a urinary tract abnormality.
• Having an abnormal backward flow of urine from the bladder.
• Having poor toilet or hygiene habits.
• Using soaps or bubble baths that irritate the urethra.
• Having a family history of UTI.