Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are extremely common, with at least half of all women experiencing one at some point in their lives. Most are relatively minor, causing no more than an unpleasant few days of discomfort and requiring little more than self-care to resolve. But in severe cases, UTIs can spread from the bladder to the kidneys, causing potentially dangerous complications such as sepsis, which occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection and begins attacking healthy tissues and organs.
What is a Urine Infection?
A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is an infection in any part of the urinary system. When most people think about a UTI they think about infections that occur in the bladder. In extreme cases though, UTIs can also spread to other parts of the urinary system and affect your kidneys. According to doctors at UTI Highland, there are many causes for a UTI including consuming certain foods and drinks that may irritate your urinary tract or chronic constipation. The most common symptom is a burning sensation when urinating but you may also experience frequency and nausea with these infections. Doctors at UTM do recommend drinking lots of fluids to help flush out any bacteria and taking medication when prescribed by your doctor if it’s serious enough. ##
What Causes Urine Infections?
Urine infections, or UTIs as they are more commonly known, are caused by bacteria from the rectum that ascend into a person’s urinary tract. The most common UTI symptom is pain and burning during urination. These symptoms will usually show up in less than 24 hours if a person has a UTI, although some can take as long as 7 days to appear.
What Are the Symptoms of a Urine Infection?
The most common symptom of a UTI is needing to urinate more frequently. If you also have a fever, and/or pain in your abdomen or lower back, see your physician immediately because these could be symptoms that something else is going on and needs attention. Bladder infections can affect bladder capacity and in rare cases can lead to kidney infection and damage. If symptoms do not improve with home treatment, or if they return after an antibiotic course, please see your healthcare provider for evaluation. ## UTI Highland offers diagnostic testing for Urine & Kidney infection detection.
How Are Urine Injuries Treated?
A wide variety of treatments exist, but in most cases, it is not practical to start treatment before the cultural results are back. In these instances, urine injury patients should be advised that they need to stop any strenuous activities and refrain from sexual intercourse until their diagnosis has been determined. Typical antibiotics for UTIs include Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Moxifloxacin (Avelox), Erythromycin, and Amoxicillin (Amoxycillin). Drinking plenty of fluids is essential to avoid a serious UTI complication known as Pyelonephritis (kidney infection).
Concluding Remarks:
You should maintain good hygiene, stay hydrated, and urinate frequently. For women, it’s important to stay mindful of proper wiping after using the restroom or wiping during menstruation. If you feel pain during urination or see blood in your urine this could be a sign of infection. Remember that any sexually transmitted infection (STI) could lead to a UTI so always use protection!
Things To Consider For Prevention
- When we know what’s causing our UTI, we can take steps to avoid that specific irritant. For example, if we use soap every day and it always causes a UTI after using it, then it would be wise to stop using that type of soap to prevent future infections. 2. Avoid tight clothing or pantyhose since they decrease airflow. 3. Drink lots of water to help flush out toxins from the urinary tract by diluting them and increasing their volume with healthy fluids. 4. Drink cranberry juice for prevention as well as for treatment because it has natural antibiotic properties in addition to helping get rid of bacteria that may have already set up camp in your bladder or kidneys 5.