Dr. Lynn Cates
Specializing in pediatric infectious diseases and childhood immunizations.
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 Ask Dr. Cates
Very Sick 15-Month-Old with Rusty Colored Urine | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Cates,
My 15-month-old son has been very sick with the flu for more than seven days - four days with diarrhea. The emergency room on Sunday gave him Imodium, tested for electrolytes and infection, but found nothing. Starting on Tuesday we noticed staining in his diaper after peeing. The stain has no odor, does not look like blood, and has a brown rusty color. The hospital believes it is due to how sick he has been and will go away. What should I be asking to make sure they are checking everything out?— Worried Mom in Rossland, BC, Canada | | | ANSWER |
April 6, 2001 | | | Dear Worried Mom,
I'm sorry to hear that your son has been sick for such a long time, but it sounds like you are doing an excellent job seeing that he gets good care. The most important thing for you to do is to keep taking him to be checked by his healthcare provider until he gets completely well. There are many things your provider will want to check including: how sick he looks, his weight to see whether or not he is getting dried out (dehydrated) from the diarrhea, his temperature, and how well he is urinating.
The discoloration you are seeing on your child's diaper should be checked out right away. It may be from blood since blood in the urine may look rusty-colored. The discoloration also may be from concentrated urine which is urine that doesn't have as much water in it as usual. This may be a sign that your son is dehydrated.
Since either blood in the urine or dehydration requires prompt medical attention, I encourage you to take your child to be checked again now. You should bring a diaper showing the discoloration with you so your provider can see exactly what you are talking about.— by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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