HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Urinary reflux
Mate whakahokinga mimi
Urinary reflux (sometimes called vesicoureteric reflux) is a condition that is usually diagnosed in childhood. With urinary reflux, wee (urine) flows back from your bladder, up your ureters (tubes that connect your kidneys to your bladder), sometimes reaching your kidneys.
Normally when the bladder empties, valves in the ureters close, stopping the wee going back into the kidneys. In urinary reflux the valves do not close so wee is forced back towards the kidney.
If the wee is infected, it can cause a kidney infection (pyelonephritis) that can scar and damage the kidneys.
Causes of urinary reflux
Urinary reflux is usually a problem you are born with and is usually diagnosed during childhood. It is more common in females than males and is more common if other members of the same whānau (family) have it.
Sometimes the kidneys have not developed normally or have abnormalities such as narrowing or a blockage affecting the flow of wee.
Symptoms of urinary reflux
Most symptoms of urinary reflux are the result of getting an infection. They can include:
- pain and tenderness on both sides of your tummy or in your lower back (just below your ribs)
- a burning or stinging sensation when weeing (urinating)
- a high temperature (fever)
- a need to wee more often
- urine that smells bad
- blood in your wee.
Diagnosing urinary reflux
Urinary reflux may be suspected if there are recurrent urine infections (UTIs).
Urinary reflux is usually diagnosed with an ultrasound scan, which looks at the size of the child's kidneys to see if there is any swelling. Sometimes it shows up before birth on a routine pregnancy ultrasound.
Treating urinary reflux
People with urinary reflux usually take antibiotics to treat or prevent any urinary infections.
Very occasionally they need an operation to mend their ureter valves or remove a blockage. This is to stop wee from flowing back into their kidneys.
If your blood pressure is high, it will need treating to help protect your kidneys.
You cannot prevent urinary reflux. But you can help prevent some urinary infections and help keep your urinary tract healthy. Things you can do include:
- make sure you drink enough
- pass wee regularly
- avoid constipation.
Complications of urinary reflux
Urinary reflux can cause scarring and kidney damage if it is not treated. This is called reflux nephropathy (nef-roh-path-y).
Usually, reflux gets better with age and there are no long-term complications. If there is scarring, it is usually minor and does not cause any long-term problems.
But sometimes it can cause long-term damage to a child's kidneys. If a tamaiti (child) has had urinary reflux, they should regularly have their blood pressure checked to make sure there are no long-term problems.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- KidsHealth – Urinary reflux in children
Information about reflux in tamariki (children).
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed March 2025.
SourcesReview key: HIURS-53047
