UTI means urinary tract infection. It can happen on every part of your body. This means it can happen in your bladder, kidneys, urethra and ureters. In most cases this kind of infection is affecting the lower parts of our urinary system such as urethra and bladder. Women have more chances to get urinary tract infection compared with men. If you have UTI at your bladder, then you feel pain and also it can cause you annoying feeling. But if this kind of infection affects your kidneys, then you should be worried because it can cause you serious damages. In most cases doctors are giving antibiotics to their patients who are affected with UTI. But if you want to reduce your chances of getting UTI, then you should take preventive care. [1]
Symptoms of urinary tract infection
This kind of infection does not have signs and symptoms in all cases. But when it has some signs and symptoms, then here we can include:
- Strong – smelling urine
- A strong, persistent urge to urinate
- Pelvic pain in women – especially in the center of the pelvis and around the area of the pubic bone
- A burning sensation when urinating
- Your urine can appear in a cloud form
- Passing frequent, small amount of urine
- Urine that appears red, bright pink or cola – colored – a sign of the blood in the urine
When adults have urinary tract infections, then they can mistake this kind of infection with other infections because they have similar symptoms.
Types of urinary tract infection
When people suffer from some type of urinary tract infection, then the previously mentioned signs and symptoms can be different. This is happening because this depends on the place you have urinary tract infection. If you have urinary tract infection on your kidneys which is known as acute pyelonephritis, then you can feel some of the next symptoms: vomiting, nausea, high fever, upper back and side flank pain, shaking and chill. If you have urinary tract infection on your bladder which is known as cystitis, then you can feel some of the next signs and symptoms: blood in urine, pelvic pressure, frequent, painful urination and lower abdomen discomfort. If you have urinary tract infection in your urethra which is known as urethritis, then you can have some of the next signs and symptoms: discharge and burning with urination. If you feel some of the mentioned signs and symptoms, then you must talk with your doctor. He or she will tell you how serious are your condition and will give you the right medical treatment.
Causes of urinary tract infection: This kind of infections happens when bacteria enter the urethra and then spreads to other parts of the urinary tract and bladder. When we have normal function of the urinary tract, then it can help us to keep away the bacteria from this part of our body. But in this case it has failure which means we can get urinary tract infection. When this happens, then the bacteria stays in the urinary tract and it can make you infection in this part of your body. Women are most affected by this kind of infection. They can get urinary tract infection in their urethra and bladder.
- Infection of the urethra which is known as urethritis: When GI bacteria spread from your anus to the urethra, then this can lead to infection of the urethra. The female urethra is close to the vagina which means they can have sexually transmitted infections such as mycoplasma, herpes, Chlamydia and gonorrhea which can lead to urethritis. [2]
- Infection of the bladder which is known as cystitis: Bacteria Escherichia coli are a cause for this kind of infection. This kind of bacteria can be easily found in our gastrointestinal tract. But also other kinds of bacteria can lead to this infection. In some cases when women are sexually active, then the sexually transmitted bacteria can lead to cystitis. Women have short distance from their urethra to their anus and their urethral opening to the bladder, which means they have increased risk of getting cystitis. [3]
Risk factors for UTI: Women can be affected with this kind of infection. Here are the risk factors of urinary tract infection:
- Female anatomy [1]
- Catheter use [4]
- Menopause [5]
- Urinary tract abnormalities
- Certain types of birth control [6]
- Blockages in the urinary tract
- A recent urinary procedure
- A suppressed immune system [7]
- Sexual activity
References:
[1] Tan CW, Chlebicki MP. Urinary tract infections in adults. Singapore Medical Journal. 2016;57(9):485–90.
[2] Flores-Mireles AL, Walker JN, Caparon M, Hultgren SJ. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2015;13(5):269–84.
[3] Vecchio M, Iroz A, Seksek I. Prevention of cystitis: Travelling between the imaginary and reality. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2018;72(suppl 2):8–10.
[4] Cortese YJ, Wagner VE, Tierney M, et al. Review of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and in vitro urinary tract models. Journal of Healthcare Engineering. 2018;2018:2986742.
[5] UT Southwestern Medical Center. Study sheds new light on urinary tract infections in postmenopausal women. Science Daily. 2019.
[6] Dienye PO, Gbeneol PK. Contraception as a risk factor for urinary tract infection in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: A case control study. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine. 2011;3(1):207.
[7] Washington University School of Medicine. Immune system overreaction may enable recurrent urinary tract infections. Science Daily. 2010.
