Naturally, the urinary tract, through its natural orifices, has continuous communication with the outside world, hence, converting it in an easy-target for harmful bacteria to get within the body.
First, we must define what a urinary tract infection is?
Urinary tract infection (UTI) or just painful urination is the term patients utilize for describing this condition. It is an infection anywhere in the components of the urinary tract such as the urethra, bladder, ureters, or kidneys, which unluckily is very common. This condition accounts for approximately 1% of all consultations to medical doctors in the United States. Similarly, 20% of these consultations were onto the emergency department, describing how worrisome is for the people having this condition.
Naturally, the urinary tract, through its natural orifices, has continuous communication with the outside world, hence, converting it in an easy-target for harmful bacteria to get within the body. However, it is natural that some bacteria reside within the outer portion of the urethra located at the tip of the glans penis for men, or next to the vaginal cavity and rectal opening for women. Given the closeness of the urinary, gynecological and intestinal tracts for women, it has way more bacteria than in men; therefore, a tendency to produce more urinary tract infection.
What causes urinary tract infections, and are men at risk for getting them?
It is an infection of the urinary system, most causing bladder infection or kidney infection. A bacteria (Escherichia coil) causes the vast majority of the cases.
Yes, several risk factors are in association with an increase in urinary tract infection diagnosis such as sexual activity, female patients, not having a full empty of the bladder while urination, vaginal infections, placement of a urinary catheter, having surgery, older age, other diseases (as diabetes), and recurrent urinary tract infections. Even though most cases of urinary tract infection are from females, when the male gets, it is a complicated UTI.
Why do women get urinary tract infections more often than men?
If you are a female, it is highly probable to get throughout your life at least one a UTI. By the age of 32 years, half of the women report at least having one UTI. Also, among young, healthy women with UTI, the infection recurs in 30% of the cases within six months of the first presentation. There’s gotta be a cause.
It is multifactorial, indeed. In specific periods of life, an increase in UTI has been described, such as childhood, honeymoon, pregnancy, and elderly. Firstly, the canal where the urine emerges (the urethra) is way shorter in females than in the male. An average male urethra length about 8 inches while women just 1,5 inches. Therefore, it is more manageable for bacteria to ease the female urinary tract than in the male. This anatomical variance predisposes to risk factors. The other two most important are hormonal changes and sexual habits.
The sexual intercourse with the use or not of spermicides, new sex partners, are important determinants. Also, in critical periods of female living, the hormonal changes (basically lower estrogen) predispose bacteria to grow exponentially. The elderly population is even more vulnerable due to its deteriorating hormonal condition, which can cease with the right treatment.
How severe can this urinary infection be?
Depending on the location of the infection, the name and impact would vary. There are two significant definitions for this infection, cystitis (bladder infection), and pyelonephritis (kidney infection). The former is an infection of the lower urinary tract, including the urethra, and bladder, while pyelonephritis involves a higher urinary tract as kidneys. The severity of the disease indeed varies upon the location, being the higher structures associated with a more severe infection.
The urinary tract infection classification also depends upon the severity and the frequency. The names are complicated and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Uncomplicated UTI mostly relies on urinary bladder infection in females with not that severe symptoms. On the contrary, complicated UTI is extensive. Male urinary tract infection, regardless of the ubication, severe UTI symptoms, another risk factor presenting with the disease as an indwelling catheter, and more, are considered complicated infections.
In terms of the frequency, recurrent infection of the urinary tract is also named differently as a recurrent urinary infection. These classifications are important because all these classifications would take place later in the medical management and treatment of the disease.
All urinary infections are the same?
It is crucial to see that urinary tract infection is not the same as having bacteria in the urine sample, which means that even though there are bacteria present in your urine samples, it is not enough to call it an infection. The term for the latter situation is “asymptomatic bacteriuria.” A minimum number of bacteria need to be present in some exams that would be explained further for accurate diagnosis of urinary disease, hence, receiving antibiotics. However, there is only one scenario where bacteria in the urine get treatment, which is in pregnant women to protect them from possible complications.
How do One know if they have the infection?
By now, from what one have read, they could assume that this is an essential condition that requires assessment by a physician to resolve it. This urinary infection symptoms checker would serve them as a guide to determine how likely it is that they are presenting a urinary tract infection with just one click!
Originally Published in Symptoms.Care
