Child Health A-Z

Genitourinary and Kidney Disorders

Urology is a surgical specialty concerned with normal and abnormal problems of the kidney, renal, pelvis, ureter, bladder, urethra, penis, and vagina in both genders. Urogenital or genitourinary (GU) are words that refer to the urinary and genital organs.

Picture of a young boy feeding himself from his highchair

Nephrology is the medical specialty concerned with the kidneys.

According to the American Urological Association, 1 percent to 2 percent of children develop urinary tract infections.

Younger children have a greater risk of kidney damage linked to urinary tract infections than older children or adults.

Many diseases of the genitourinary system in children are present when a child is born. This poses unique challenges that are vastly different from adults with kidney disease.

Because the genitourinary system is so complex, involving many systems in the body, a child with a genitourinary disorder may require a number of specialists to participate in his or her care.

The following specialists may be involved in your child's care - pediatric nephrologist; pediatric urologist; pediatrician; pediatric surgeons; transplant surgeons; perinatologist; geneticists; pediatric radiologist; neurodevelopmental specialists; nutritionists; social workers; psychologists; and pediatric nurses.

Last Update
February 25, 2008

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