Why Do You Keep Getting UTIs?

You may have read that most people — and especially women — suffer at least one urinary tract infection in their lives. If that seemed awfully low to you, because you're plagued by UTIs all the time, you may wonder why you have to be afflicted with this common ailement so often, and what you can do to break that cycle of recurrent UTis.

The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, the ureters, the urinary bladder and the urethra. Any infection of this tract is called a urinary tract infection (UTI). The urinary bladder is most commonly involved in a UTI and a bladder infection is generally not medically serious when it is treated right away. However, if the treatment is delayed, the pathogens that cause the infection may ascend to the kidneys and infect them, leading to a kidney infection. An infection of the kidneys is a serious condition tthat may lead to permanent damage.

Unlike other infections, urinary tract infections tend to recur. A person is said to be suffering from a recurrent UTI if she or he (because yes, urinary tract infections affect men, too) has two episodes of UTI within 6 months or three episodes within a year.

• 80 percent of all UTIs are caused by Escherichia coli bacteria
• 10 to 15 percent of the cases are caused by Staphylococcus saprophyticus.
• Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Proteus species are also implicated in certain cases.

Common symptoms of UTI

Common symptoms of UTI include pain and burning during micturition (urination), a strong and frequent urge to urinate, passing a small amount of urine, heaviness or bloating in the lower abdomen, a change in the color or odor of urine, blood in the urine, pain in the side of the back under the ribs, nausea and vomiting, and fever associated with chills.

People more prone to develop UTIs: The risk factors

Although anybody can suffer from a UTI, people suffering from any sort of spinal cord injury or damage to nerves innervating the urinary bladder, are more prone to develop UTIs. This is because of the stasis of urine in the bladder for a long time allowing bacteria to multiply. Similarly, any obstruction in the normal passage of the urine caused by a kidney or ureteric stone, an enlarged prostate gland or any other growth, can lead to the development of a UTI.

People who suffer from diabetes or any other chronic medical condition which lowers the body’s natural defense mechanism (immune system) are more likely to suffer from a UTI, too.

The presence of catheters or any other tubes in the urethra or the bladder interfere with the body’s innate ability to flush out microbes. In certain cases, catheters may themselves be a source of infection. That is why the Infectious Diseases Society of America advocates the use of catheters for the shortest duration of time possible.

Recurrent urinary tract infections in men usually occur because the bacteria hide deep inside the prostate tissue and multiply there. However, women are far more prone to develop recurrent UTIs than men. While men have a 1 in 20 lifetime risk of developing a UTI, in women the risk is as high as 1 in 3.