Urinary Tract Infection: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

What is Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?

The urinary tract is the entire system within the body that is responsible for making urine and carrying it out of the body. It comprises the urinary bladder, the kidneys, the ureters, and the urethra. An infection in any of these parts of the urinary tract is known as the Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), and these infections are shockingly common — mostly in women, but met can have UTIs, too.

A urinary tract infection can develop anywhere within the urinary tract. UTIs can be classified as follows depending on the location of the infection:

• Cystitis: An infection in the urinary bladder is known as cystitis.
• Urethritis: An infection in the urethra, the tube that is responsible for emptying urine from the bladder to the outside, is known as urethritis.
• Pyelonephritis: An infection in one or both the kidneys is known as pyelonephritis.

Normally, the severity of the UTI increases depending on how far up it is located in the urinary tract. That is, bladder infections are fairly easy to treat; you'll normally just need a short course of antibiotics. Upper UTIs are more serious as they involve the risk of damaging the kidneys. A urinary tract infection is the second most common infection that you can get. Women are more prone to getting the UTI in comparison to men. As per a study, 40 percent of women and 12 percent of men get a urinary tract infection at some point in time in their lives. Some people will suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections, sometimes even multiple in the same year.

Causes of Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infections are typically caused by E.coli bacteria that are naturally found in the colon. These bacteria are found in the bowel and around the anus. These bacteria often move from the anus to the opening of the urethra resulting in an infection. Poor hygiene and sexual intercourse are the most common causes of the movement of these bacteria to the urethra.

The urine is sterile and an infection occurs only when bacteria get into the urine and start to grow. The infection normally starts from the urethra and moves up into the urinary tract. The act of urinating helps in flushing out the bacteria from the urethra. However, when the bacteria are too many, urinating will not help in stopping the spread of the infection.

Numerous other strains of bacteria are also known to cause urinary tract infections. These include Chlamydia, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterobacter, Mycoplasma, and Serratia. Certain types of fungi such as Candida and Cryptococcus spp. and some parasites such as Schistosoma and Trichomonas too can cause UTIs, though this is much rarer.

Certain medical conditions can also increase your risk of developing a UTI. These include:

• Diabetes
• An enlarged prostate
• Kidney stones
• Advanced age
• Pregnancy
• Surgery involving the urinary tract
• Long term use of a catheter, which can introduce pathogens to the urinary tract

Symptoms Of Urinary Tract Infection

The most common symptoms of the urinary tract infection are listed below:

• Frequent painful urination: Irritation in the urinary bladder owing to the bacterial infection might cause the muscles within the bladder wall to get stimulated. This in turn makes the infected person feel the need to urinate frequently. The act of urination is accompanied by painful and burning sensations which can be very unpleasant.

• Pain in the abdomen: The inflammation in the urinary bladder can spread to the muscles in the abdomen and the infected person experiences painful sensations and a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen and the pelvic region. These painful sensations can at times be very severe and might cause nausea and vomiting in certain people, especially when a kidney infection has developed. Lower back pain can also be a symptom of a severe kidney infection.
• Discolored urination: Urine that is infected by bacteria might appear discolored and cloudy. At times, there might even be traces of blood in the urine. In certain patients urine might appear darker and emit an unusual, pungent odor. Urine that has traces of blood can signal a severe kidney infection that needs to be attended to immediately.
• Fever: Sometimes, a UTI might even cause fever. Fever symptoms are typically low and may be accompanied by sweating, chills, and body ache and indicate a serious infection.

 Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection

If you experience painful urination accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever, and severe back pain, you need to visit a doctor immediately. The initial evaluation by a doctor would include inquiring about the patient's medical history, the onset and severity of the symptoms and a physical examination of the patient. The doctor might also advise various diagnostic tests. Some of the diagnostic tests that are commonly prescribed are listed below:

• Urinalysis: Urinalysis is done to find the presence of pus cells and bacteria in the urine. Urinalysis is the process of examining the urine sample to study its color and clarity. This is followed by a microscopic examination that helps in detecting the presence of pus cells, mucus and other substances. This is followed by a dip stick test which is a chemical analysis of the sample. If the test turns out to be positive, the sample is further analyzed in a laboratory.
• Ultrasound examination/MRI of the bladder and the kidneys: An ultrasound examination or an MRI scan can help detect any abnormalities in the functioning of the kidneys and the urinary tract.
• Urine Culture: In this process, a small amount of the urine sample is placed on certain growth medium plates. These plates are lined with gels that promote bacterial growth. When bacterial colonies are formed on the plates, it confirms the presence of bacterial infection.

Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection

Since a UTI is almost always caused by bacteria, antibiotics have been found to be very effective in the treatment of the infection. The exact type of drug and the duration for which the antibiotics need to be taken depends on the kind and severity of the infection. If the patient has lower urinary tract infection, it can be treated at home by taking antibiotics. Minor lower UTI patients are prescribed an antibiotic course for one week. The antibiotic commonly prescribed is trimethoprim. A mild upper UTI can also be treated at home by taking antibiotics for about 7-14 days. The antibiotic that is prescribed for upper UTI is co-amoxiclav or Ciprofloxacin. A seven to ten day hospitalization might be required in cases where the upper UTI is severe and the patient is pregnant, diabetic, above 60 years of age, or has a blockage in kidneys. 

The key lies in acting fast. If you catch a UTI early, treatment will be quick and painless, but if the UTI is allowed to fester, serious complications can occur.