Ritual circumcision is associated with increased incidence of neonatal urinary tract infections. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Is ritual circumcision a risk factor for neonatal urinary tract infections?
Arch Dis Child. 2009 Mar;94(3):191-4. Epub 2008 Oct 6. PMID: 18838417
Department of Pediatrics C, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva 49202, Israel. prais@post.tau.ac.il
OBJECTIVE: Although circumcision is commonly believed to protect against urinary tract infection (UTI), it is not unusual in neonates in Israel, where almost all male infants are circumcised. The aim of the study was to evaluate the burden of neonatal UTI in Israel and its relationship to circumcision.
DESIGN: Medical records of neonates (
RESULTS: 162 neonates (108 males, 54 females) were hospitalised with UTI. Mean age at admission was significantly lower in males (27.5 vs 37.7 days, p = 0.0002). The incidence of UTI in males peaked at 2-4 weeks of age, that is, the period immediately following circumcision. In females, the incidence tended to rise with age. Accordingly, male predominance disappeared at 7 weeks and the male-to-female ratio reversed. In the second part of the study, 111 males (
CONCLUSIONS: There was a higher preponderance of UTI among male neonates. Its incidence peaked during the early post-circumcision period, as opposed to the age-related rise in females. UTI seems to occur more frequently after traditional circumcision than after physician-performed circumcision. We speculate that changes in the haemostasis technique or shortening the duration of the shaft wrapping might decrease the rate of infection after Jewish ritual circumcision.
