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How To Recognize a UTI (urinary tract infection)

This kind of infection is the one that is most frequently seen. Let’s examine the causes and the symptoms, as well as what can be done to help prevent them.

I realized as I headed to the bathroom for the third time that hour, that I was experiencing the symptoms of still another urinary tract infection, or UTI, but I know that I am not alone in experiencing these. The most frequently diagnosed infection is a urinary tract infection, and women are more likely than men to develop a UTI; half of all women will develop at least one UTI in their lifetimes. Only rarely do men or children develop UTIs, but the symptoms and outcomes of these infections can be quite severe. Women who are pregnant have a higher risk and should be watched carefully for symptoms, because infections can be very dangerous to the mother, sometimes causing premature labor, as well as to the infant, who may as a result be born with a lower birth weight.

How do people get UTIs and what makes them occur so commonly? Essentially, a UTI can be explained as an infection that occurs in one or more organs of the urinary system, which includes your kidneys, ureters, urethra, and bladder. A number of factors, including kidney stones (which block the urinary tract, increasing the number of bacteria and the amount of toxic materials that build up and cannot be eliminated), increase a person’s risk of developing a UTI. Persons whose immune systems have been compromised as a result of diabetes, cancer, a virus, or a medication that lowers their immune system are more vulnerable. Additionally, in women, sexual activity increases the chance of an infection. In men, prostate enlargement increases the likelihood of a UTI.

How can you be sure that you are experiencing a UTI? The majority of people develop very specific symptoms, but the nature of the symptoms sometimes differs a bit depending on whether the bacteria are located in the upper or lower urinary tract. Feeling one or more of the following symptoms may indicate that you are suffering from a lower UTI: a burning feeling during urination, frequently feeling the need to urinate but not being able to produce very much urine, dull pain in the lower abdomen, or a slight fever. Upper tract UTIs feature symptoms of much greater seriousness; persons suffering from these may develop high fevers that are often associated with backaches, chilling, and vomiting.

If you develop any of these symptoms, see your primary care provider. When you examine your urine visually, you will find it is cloudy, and it may even smell bad. You will probably be asked to provide a sample of your urine collected in midstream, which will be taken to the laboratory so that the bacterium causing the infection can be identified. After the organism has been identified, a test known as an antibiotic sensitivity assay needs to be done to identify which antibiotic would be most effective in killing the infecting bacterium. Giving a person an antibiotic if their infection is resistant to that medicine is pointless.

The best method of treatment includes taking the right antibiotic to treat the infection and taking it until it is completely gone, as well as taking proper measures to prevent further recurrences of UTIs. Antibiotics that are commonly used to treat this problem include generic amoxicillin and nitrofurantoin. If your symptoms don’t improve or resolve, you may need another round of medication. Although it is difficult to prevent a UTI, there are some things you can do to lower your risk or prevent further infection including: flushing out bacteria and toxins by drinking lots of water, emptying your bladder completely, and urinating when you feel the need to instead of holding it. In addition, be sure to carefully clean your genitals on a regular basis, as well as prior to and after having sexual relations. If UTIs are not properly treated, they can result in serious harm to the kidneys and even blood poisoning, so treatment is essential.