Tej Mattoo, MD, professor and chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Wayne State University ’s School of Medicine was recently awarded over $2.2 million from the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health to examine if long-term antibiotics are necessary in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR).  

Vesicoureteral reflux is a common congenital abnormality that is associated with recurrent urinary tract infections in children.  With normal urination, the bladder contracts and deposits the urine through the urethra.  In children with VUR, some urine goes back up into the ureters and sometimes up to the kidneys.  This reflux exposes the kidneys to infection, which can cause serious kidney damage in younger children.  The injury to the kidney may result in renal scarring, which may cause high blood pressure later in life, or even kidney failure. 

According to Dr. Mattoo of Troy, Michigan , “To prevent such damage and long-term effects, patients are currently treated with daily antibiotics for many years depending on the severity of their abnormality. Our study’s main aim is to test the hypothesis that prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis does not reduce the risk of renal damage in children with VUR.” He adds, “We propose using antibiotic prophylaxis or a placebo in all eligible children less than six years old and follow them carefully under a strict management protocol.” 

The current treatment method may not be necessary and may cause some harm, including resistance to antibiotics, requiring children to have expensive and painful radiology tests and surgical procedures, and causing parental anxiety.  This study will determine if long-term antibiotics are necessary.