Urinary tract infections in children and adolescents with acute psychosis

Objective Schizophrenia is associated with increased infections. We previously found an association between urinary tract infection (UTI) and acute psychosis in adults. The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate the prevalence of UTI at the time of admission in children and adolescents with non-affective psychosis and psychotic depression versus those with non-psychotic major depressive disorder, and 2) compare demographic and clinical features between children and adolescents with acute psychosis with and without comorbid UTI. Method We performed a retrospective chart review of 227 subjects ages 10–18 who were hospitalized between 2005 and 2014 for an acute episode of DSM-IV non-affective psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychosis NOS, or delusional disorder; n = 80), major depressive disorder (MDD) with psychotic features (n = 47); or MDD without psychotic features (n = 100). Results The prevalence of UTI was 20% in non-affective psychosis, 9% in MDD with psychotic features, and 13% in non-psychotic MDD. After controlling for potential confounders, UTI was 3.5 times more likely in subjects with non-affective psychosis than non-psychotic MDD (OR = 3.5, 95% CI 1.3–9.2, p = 0.01). Subjects with UTI had a higher prevalence of manic symptoms, but otherwise there were no associations between clinical characteristics and UTI in acute psychosis. Conclusions We found an association between UTIs and children and adolescents with acute non-affective psychosis. The results highlight the potential importance of screening for comorbid UTI in patients with acute psychosis.