How common is VUR in children?

How common is VUR?

  • Approximately 1 in 100 children are estimated to have VUR1
  • Incidence of VUR in children with a history of UTI is about 20-50%2
  • Up to 50% of children whose mothers have VUR and about 30% of siblings of children with VUR will also have VUR1,2
  • Of those diagnosed with VUR following a UTI, 80% are girls and are on average 2 to 3 years of age1
  • Light skinned children are at greater risk for VUR, compared with black children and children of Mediterranean origin2
  • The prototypical patient with VUR is a Caucasian girl younger than 4 years of age with a history of UTIs1,3

References:

  1. Elder JS. Vesicoureteral reflux. In: Kliegman R, Nelson WE, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders; 2011:1834-1838.
  2. Baskin LS, Kogan BA, Stock JA. Handbook of Pediatric Urology Third Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2019.
  3. Chand DH, Rhoades T, Poe SA, Kraus S, Strife CF. Incidence and severity of vesicoureteral reflux in children related to age, gender, race and diagnosis. J Urol. 2003;170(4 pt 2):1548-1550.