American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [201]
Prevention
Doctors recommend that all children have a screening test for lead poisoning between 6 months and 6 years of age, depending on the child’s risk factors, such as exposure to lead-based paint in older homes. You can take a number of steps to limit your family’s exposure to lead and help prevent lead poisoning:
• Keep your child away from chipping or peeling paint, and make sure that he or she does not chew or suck on surfaces that could be coated with lead-based paint, such as furniture, railings, windowsills, or the slats of window blinds.
• Have your home tested for lead, and have any lead-based paint removed professionally.
• Keep your home clean and dust-free, especially in areas where your children play.
• Have your local health department or water department test your tap water for lead.
• Run cold water from the tap for at least 1 minute before using it (because water standing in lead pipes can accumulate dissolved lead), and do not drink or cook with hot tap water (because hot tap water dissolves lead in pipes faster than cold water does).
• Do not store beverages in lead crystal containers, and don’t cook or store food in lead-glazed pottery.
• Do not let your children play in dirt or mud. Encourage frequent, careful handwashing at home, especially after playing outdoors, before meals and naps, and at bedtime.
• Check for chipped or peeling paint on play-ground equipment, and have your local health department test the paint for lead. If the paint is lead-based, it should be removed professionally, or the equipment should be replaced.
• Provide your children a diet that is high in iron and calcium and low in fat to reduce the body’s absorption of lead. Good sources of iron include lean red meats, legumes, fortified cereals, and eggs. Good sources of calcium include low-fat or fat-free dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Disorders of the Urinary Tract and Reproductive Organs
The urinary tract consists of two fist-sized organs called the kidneys (which filter the blood and excrete waste products and excess water from the body as urine), two narrow tubes called ureters (which carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), a hollow, muscular organ called the bladder (which serves as a reservoir for urine), and a narrow tube called the urethra (which carries urine from the bladder out of the body). The reproductive organs are closely linked to the urinary tract.
The urinary tract
The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and the urethra. The kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood to make urine. The ureters are two tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder, where the urine is stored until it is expelled from the body. The urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.
Urinary Tract Infections
In a urinary tract infection, microorganisms (usually bacteria) invade the urinary tract and multiply. Urinary tract infections are common among children. Girls are especially susceptible because the female urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) is fairly short, making it relatively easy for bacteria to move up the urethra and into the bladder.
Few risks are associated with one or two urinary tract infections. However, if the child is a boy or is younger than 2, or if the infection recurs, the child may have an underlying abnormality of the urinary tract that requires treatment to help prevent more serious urinary problems, such as chronic pyelonephritis (see page 806), chronic kidney failure (see page 817), or vesicoureteral reflux (see next page).
Symptoms
Sometimes a urinary tract infection does not cause symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include a persistent urge to urinate, difficulty urinating, or a burning sensation while urinating. The child may experience pain in the lower back, in the abdomen, or in the groin area. He or she may also have a