What is a urinary tract infection?

Urinary tract infections are common in women. Statistics show that married women are at risk of a UTI at least once in their lifetime. Urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs when bacteria are present in any organ of the urinary tract.

Mild cases can be easily treated at home with antibiotics for 3 to 7 days. Cases of infection spreading to the kidneys - renal pelvis, require hospitalization for monitoring and antibiotic therapy through an intravenous line.

Symptoms of a urinary tract infection

• Frequent urination;
• Cold, urinary incontinence;
• Cloudy or foul urine, pus or blood in the urine;
• Patients, especially women, will feel pain in the pubic area;

In addition, depending on the organ of the infection, different symptoms will appear:

• If the kidney is infected, the patient may have fever, nausea, vomiting, or shivering or back pain;
• If the bladder is infected, the patient will experience immediate pain (lower abdomen), frequent urination but painful urination and bleeding;
• If the urethra is infected, the patient will pass urine and have discharge from the urethra;

Factors that increase the risk of urinary tract infections

Women are more susceptible to urinary tract infections than men.(Illustration).

• Unsafe sex;
• Gender: The female urethra is shorter than the male, so the path of bacteria to the bladder is shorter, making it easier for women to get sick than the male;
• Use birth control methods such as diaphragms or spermicide that are more likely to get sick;
• After menopause, a deficiency of estrogen causes changes in the urinary tract, making you more susceptible to infections;
• Infants with urinary tract deformities make urine not normally excreted or stagnate urine in the urethra at high risk;
• An enlarged stone or prostate can cause urine to collect in the bladder, causing inflammation;
• Diabetes and other conditions that weaken the immune system can increase the risk of urinary tract infections.