A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence of urinary tract infection in childhood

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is considered as one of the most important causes of fever and hospitalization in children. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the prevalence of UTIs in children through meta-analysis. Methods: This meta-analysis study was conducted on individuals aged >18 years. In order to retrieve the studied, the following domestic and foreign databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane. The obtained data were analyzed in STATA version 14 at the significance level of P<0.05. Results: In 36 studies with 78212 samples published between 2000 and 2021, the prevalence of UTIs in children was reported at 15% (95% CI: 13%, 17%). It was 16% in girls (95% CI: 12%, 19%) and 10% in boys (95% CI: 7%, 13%). The most common cause of UTI in children was Escherichia coli with 58% (95% CI: 46%, 69%). The least common prevalence was reported in the UK with 6% (95% CI: 5%, 6%) and the USA with 6% (95% CI: 5%, 8%) and the highest prevalence was reported in Iraq with 43% (95% CI 39%, 48%). Conclusion: Approximately one out of 10 people suffers UTI and this rate is increasing over time and the prevalence of UTIs in girls is about 1.5 times higher than that in boys. Registration: This study has been compiled based on the PRISMA checklist, and its protocol was registered on the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021290886, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021290886).