|
Urinary Tract Infection Introduction |
|
Urinary tract
infections (UTIs) can occur anywhere
along the urinary tract, including
the urethra, bladder, ureters, and
kidney. The infections are usually
caused by bacteria, but can also be
caused by fungus and parasites. Urinary tract infections almost
always develop from the urethra
towards the kidney, known as an
ascending infection. In rare cases, one can get a urinary tract
infection that begins in the kidneys
due to a bacterium in the blood. The most common bacterial pathogens
are those that live in the digestive
tract in a healthy individual,
namely E.coli. UTIs can also be
caused by sexually transmitted
diseases such as chlamydia,
gonorrhea, and herpes. The most
common fungal cause of a UTI is
Candida, or yeast. [1]
|
 |
Urinary tract
infections can occur in men and
women of all ages. They are most
predominant in women, ranging from 20
- 50 years of age. Urinary
tract infetions can also occur in children,
and onset is usually cause by
certain congenital anomalies. UTIs are
equally common in
the elderly population and arise as
a secondary complication of
genitourinary conditions. Pregnancy
also increases the risk of an UTI. [2]
|
Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms
|
The most
prominent symptoms of urinary tract
infections include burning with
urination, painful urination,
frequency of urination, and nocturia
(night time urination). Patients
may also complain of low back pain
or pain above the pubic bone. If
the UTI becomes complicated, fever and chills may develop due to
septic infection (in the blood).
The symptoms a
patient is experiencing can often
help differentiate between various
locations of the urinary tract where the
infection is possibly located. Urethritis,
or infection of the urethra, is mild
compared to cystitis, or bladder
infection. Pylonephritis, or kidney infection
is usually the most severe, with a
sudden onset and systemic symptoms
of fever and chills with muscle
aches; offten with a flank
pain on the affected side. Patients
with cystitis and pylonephritis can
have visual blood in the urine,
while patients with urethritis may
only have blood visible with a
microscope.
Laboratory signs of UTI include
a diminished white blood cell count and bacteria in
the urine. There can also be blood
present, but this symptom does not always
occur. Patients
may, at times, also have pus in the urine. In
children (especially boys) with non-bacterial UTIs,
anatomic
abnormalities may be visualized with
diagnostic imaging. [3]
|
Urinary Tract Infection Statistics |
-
Nearly 10 million
visits to the doctor this year will
be due to a UTI.
-
Women are 50 times
as likely to get a urinary tract
infection as a man.
-
1 in 5 women
will have a urinary tract infection
at some point in their life.
-
20% of
those women will have a second UTI
and 25% of those women will develop
chronic urinary tract infections. [4]
-
30-50% of UTIs in children less than
10 years of age are due to anatomic
abnormalities. [5]
|
Learn More About
Urinary Tract Infection |
|
