Urinary tract infection (UTI)
A urinary traction infection (UTI) is a very common type of infection in your urinary system. A UTI can involve any part of your urinary system, including the urethra, ureters, bladder and kidneys. Symptoms typically include needing to urinate often, having pain when urinating and feeling pain in your side or lower back. Most UTIs can be treated with an antibiotic.
What is a urinary tract infection (UTI)?
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of the urinary system. This type of infection can involve your urethra (a condition called urethritis), kidneys (a condition called pyelonephritis) or bladder, (a condition called cystitis).
Your urine typically doesn’t contain bacteria (germs). Urine is a byproduct of our filtration system—the kidneys. When waste products and excess water is removed from your blood by the kidneys, urine is created. Normally, urine moves through your urinary system without any contamination. However, bacteria can get into the urinary system from outside of the body, causing problems like infection and inflammation. This is a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Who gets urinary tract infections (UTIs)?
Anyone can get a urinary tract infection, but they are more common in women. This is because the urethra (tube the carries urine out of the body) in females is shorter and closer to the anus, where E. coli bacteria are common. Older adults also are at higher risk for developing cystitis. This increased risk may be due to incomplete emptying of the bladder. There are several medical conditions that can be related to this, including an enlarged prostate or a bladder prolapse (a condition where the bladder falls or slips out of its usual position).
If you get frequent urinary tract infections, your healthcare provider may do tests to check for other health problems — such as diabetes or an abnormal urinary system—that may be contributing to your infections. People with frequent UTIs are occasionally given low-dose antibiotics for a period of time to prevent the infection from coming back. This cautious approach to treating frequent UTIs is because your body can develop a resistance to the antibiotic and you can get other types of infections, such as C. diff colitis. This practice is used very infrequently.
Urinary tract infection (UTI) Symptoms
A urinary tract infection causes the lining of the urinary tract to become red and irritated (inflammation), which may produce some of the following symptoms:
Pain in the side (flank), abdomen or pelvic area.
Pressure in the lower pelvis.
Frequent need to urinate (frequency), urgent need to urinate (urgency) and Incontinence (urine leakage).
The need to urinate at night.
Abnormal urine color (cloudy urine) and strong or foul-smelling urine.
Other symptoms that may be associated with a urinary tract infection include:
Flank (side of the body) pain or lower back pain.
Fatigue.
Fever (temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and chills.
Mental changes or confusion.
When to seek care
Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection. If you have been diagnosed with a UTI and your symptoms are getting worse, call your healthcare provider. You may need a different treatment. Watch out for these symptoms in particular:
Fever.
Back pain.
Vomiting.
If you have any of these symptoms, or your other symptoms continue after treatment, call your healthcare provider. A UTI can spread throughout your urinary tract and into other parts of your body. However, treatment is very effective and can quickly relieve your symptoms.
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