Thousands of children in the UK are missing out on vital treatment for common urinary tract infections (UTIs), risking long-term damage to their bladder and kidneys, experts have warned.

Official NHS guidelines state that young people with difficult-to-treat urinary tract infections should be seen by hospital specialists. However, inside sources told The Mail on Sunday that too few GPs are arranging referrals, denying children effective medication.

Instead, young patients are “tricked” into antibiotics that don’t work, leaving them in constant pain.

Urinary tract infections are the most common childhood bacterial infection, affecting approximately one in ten girls and one in 30 boys.

In most cases, it can be treated quickly with a short course of antibiotics, which destroy the bacteria causing the problems. But for some this proves ineffective and the infection returns.

In these cases, experts say specialist intervention is crucial, as patients need prolonged treatment with antibiotics, which GPs are unlikely to prescribe due to concerns about antibiotic resistance, when bacteria They develop the ability to defeat drugs designed to kill them. A specialist may also prescribe medications that can sterilize urine in the bladder.

According to patient group Chronic Urinary Infections Campaign, many GPs are unaware that children with UTIs require specialist treatment.

The group also says aware GPs may struggle to find someone to refer the patient to, due to a shortage of consultants specializing in childhood urinary infections.

“We regularly hear from concerned parents who have a child with a drug-resistant UTI and are unable to get a referral,” says Alison Pearce, patient group director. ‘Some GPs have outdated views about these infections and do not believe they need specialist care.

‘We are also concerned by the number of parents who tell us they have received a referral from their GP only to discover there is no specialist who can see them.

‘We believe there are not enough NHS doctors who specialize in urinary tract infections in children. Even big hospitals don’t have the resources to treat these cases.”

UTIs occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract, a general term for the bladder, kidneys, and the tubes connected to them. Sufferers often experience a burning sensation when urinating, as well as difficulty urinating and a high temperature.

If left untreated, a UTI can lead to kidney damage and even sepsis, a life-threatening reaction of the immune system to an infection.

Another danger of poor treatment is the risk that infections become more difficult to treat and even resistant to normal antibiotics, meaning that the problem keeps coming back. This happens because, over time, all bacteria develop a defense against the drugs with which they frequently come into contact.

According to the World Health Organization, these so-called superbugs already kill 1.2 million people each year around the world and will cause the death of more than ten million a year by 2050.

Studies suggest that around a third of child patients will experience chronic urinary tract infections, classified as three or more infections a year.

“Every year we hear from an increasing number of parents terrified that their children are suffering from chronic urinary tract infections that do not respond to antibiotics,” says Mrs Pearce.

However, experts say there are currently few options for concerned parents. “Complex cases can be difficult for a GP to deal with as they may not fully understand how to treat these infections,” says Dr Cat Anderson, a Staffordshire GP who also runs a urinary tract infection clinic.

But specialists can offer effective treatment. Studies show that long courses of antibiotics, as well as other medications such as the antiseptic medication Hiprex, can prevent infections from returning for good.

One patient who has struggled to get effective treatment is four-year-old Ellie Lury from Exeter.

Ellie has suffered six infections in less than three months, which her mother Sam describes as “traumatizing”.

“She’s been in constant pain since they started and it’s gotten to the point where she avoids using the bathroom because it hurts so much,” says Sam, 34. “Ellie was supposed to start school last week, but she had to stay.” her at home due to the infection. She was very sad about that.

Urine tests, ordered by Ellie’s primary care doctor, show that she suffers from a drug-resistant strain of E. coli.

Despite this, the GP refused to refer Ellie to a specialist.

“The GP said he hadn’t had the infection long enough to consider it chronic, so his case wasn’t serious enough,” Sam says. ‘He said we had to try another short course of antibiotics.

‘Ellie is really struggling and so am I as I am up with her all night when she is in pain. Not even considering referring her to a consultant seems horrible to me.’

Since then, Sam decided to take Ellie to a private pediatric urologist. “Ellie needs to see someone who knows what she’s doing,” she says. “My biggest fear is that this infection will never go away.”