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What is a urinary tract
infection?
Your urinary tract is the system
that makes urine and carries it out of your body. It
includes your bladder and kidneys and the tubes that
connect them. When germs get into this system, they can
cause an infection.
Most urinary tract infections are bladder infections. A
bladder infection usually is not serious if it is
treated right away. If you do not take care of a bladder
infection, it can spread to your kidneys. A kidney
infection is serious and can cause permanent damage.
What causes urinary tract
infections?
Usually, germs get into your
system through your urethra, the tube that carries urine
from your bladder to the outside of your body. The germs
that usually cause these infections live in your large
intestine and are found in your stool. If these germs
get inside your urethra, they can travel up into your
bladder and kidneys and cause an infection.
Women tend to get more bladder infections than men. This
is probably because women have shorter urethras, so it
is easier for the germs to move up to their bladders.
Having sex can make it easier for germs to get into your
urethra.
You may be more likely to get an infection if you do not
drink enough fluids, you have diabetes, or you are
pregnant. The chance that you will get a bladder
infection is higher if you have any problem that blocks
the flow of urine from your bladder. Examples include
having kidney stones or an enlarged prostate gland.
Elderly individuals, both men and women, are more likely
to harbor bacteria in their genitourinary system at any
time. These bacteria may be associated with symptoms and
thus require treatment with an antibiotic. The presence
of bacteria in the urinary tract of older adults,
without symptoms or associated consequences, is also a
well recognized phenomenon which may not require
antibiotics. This is usually referred to as asymptomatic
bacteriuria. The overuse of antibiotics in the context
of bacteriuria among the elderly is a concerning and
controversial issue.
For reasons that are not well understood, some women get
bladder infections again and again.
What are the symptoms?
You feel pain or burning when you urinate.
You feel like you have to urinate often, but not much
urine comes out when you do.
Your
belly feels tender or heavy.
Your urine is cloudy or smells
bad.
You have pain on one side of your
back under your ribs. This is where your kidneys are.
You have fever and chills.
You have nausea and vomiting.
Call your doctor right away if you think you have an
infection and you have a fever, nausea and
vomiting, or pain in one side of your back under your
ribs, or if you have diabetes,
kidney problems, or a weak immune system.
How are urinary
tract infections diagnosed?
Your doctor will ask for a sample
of your urine. It is tested to see if it has germs that
cause bladder infections.
If you have infections
often, you may need extra testing to find out why.
How are they treated?
Antibiotics prescribed by your
doctor will usually cure a bladder infection. It may
help to drink lots of water and other fluids and to
urinate often, emptying your bladder each time.
If your doctor prescribes
antibiotics, take the pills exactly as you are told. Do
not stop taking them just because you feel better. You
need to finish taking them all so that you do not get
sick again.
Can urinary tract infections be
prevented?
You can help prevent these
infections.
Drink lots of water every day.
Try drinking cranberry juice or
taking cranberry pills.
Urinate often. Do not try to hold
it.
If you are a woman, urinate right
after having sex.
Recurrent UTI's
Patients with recurrent UTI's may need further
investigation. This may include ultrasound scans of the
kidneys and bladder or intravenous urography (X-rays of
the urological system following intravenous injection of
iodinated contrast material). If there is no response to
treatment, interstitial cystitis may be a possibility.
During cystitis, uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)
subvert innate defenses by invading superficial umbrella
cells and rapidly increasing in numbers to form
intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs). By
working together, bacteria in biofilms build themselves
into structures that are more firmly anchored in
infected cells and are more resistant to immune system
assaults and antibiotic treatments. This is often
the cause of chronic Urinary Tract Infections.
* The above is for information
purposes only, and should not be construed as advice,
medical or otherwise. Please consult a licensed
physician before relying upon any of the information
above.
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