KNOW ALL ABOUT URINARY TRACT INFECTION

Everybody gets urinary tract infection or UTI at some point of life and especially women are more prone to get this. UTI is caused due to germs that infect the system that carries urine out of the body including kidneys, bladder and urinary tubes that connect these organs.

Urinary bladder infections are more common and they do not tend to be serious if treated promptly. Care should be taken to prevent the infection from spreading to the kidneys since it will cause more serious health problems.

Symptoms (Bladder infection)

UTI with bladder infection can show various symptoms like pain or burning during urination, urge to urinate often, pain in the lower abdomen, urine and that is cloudy or foul smelling. It is also to be noted that many people do not have any particular symptom during UTI.

Symptoms (Kidney infection)

It is usually an untreated bladder infection that spreads to the kidneys and causes symptoms like pain on either side of the lower back, fever and chills along with nausea & vomiting.

Consult your doctor...

You should consult your doctor at once when you detect symptoms of UTI. A bladder infection may not be an emergency but it can lead to other complications if left untreated. Certain people like pregnant women, elderly, those with diabetes, kidney problems and weakened immune system due to various reasons should take UTI seriously and seek medical help.

Asymptomatic UTI

Sometimes UTI may occur without any symptoms and yet the urine test will show presence of bacteria. This is known as asymptomatic UTI. This is usually seen in pregnant women, children and recipients of kidney transplants and they should be treated to avoid further infections and complications.

What are the risks?

Sexually active women are more prone to get UTI apart from that those who do not take enough fluids daily, those who take frequent baths, those who hold back urine in the bladder and patients with kidney stone are more at risk.

What are the treatments?

The doctor usually prescribes antibiotics which will almost always cure UTI.

You will be asked to drink lots of fluids and empty the bladder frequently to flush out the bacteria. Kidney infections can also be treated with oral antibiotics but if the infection is severe it may require hospitalisation.