Other names: Acute Bacterial Cystitis; Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection; Chronic Urinary Tract Infection; Cystitis, acute bacterial; Infection, Urinary Tract; UTI
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in your urinary tract. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Staphylococcus saprophyticus.
Your urinary tract includes your bladder, kidneys, ureter (the tube that connects your kidneys to your bladder), and urethra (the tube that removes urine from your body). A bladder infection is a type of urinary tract infection, but not all UTIs are bladder infections.
Risk Factors for UTIs
Women of all ages are most at risk of UTIs because the female urethra is much shorter than the male urethra, which allows bacteria near the vagina to enter the bladder more easily. Older males are also at a higher risk. Other factors that increase the risk of a UTI include:
- Sexual intercourse
- Certain contraceptives (eg, diaphragms or spermicides)
- Wiping from back to front after a bowel movement
- The presence of kidney or bladder stones
- Urinating without fully emptying the bladder
- Pregnancy
- Having a urinary catheter.
UTIs in children are reasonably common, affecting up to 8% of girls and 2% of boys. Young children also have a higher risk of kidney damage from UTIs than adults. Some children are born with vesicoureteral reflux, where urine reenters the bladder from one or both ureters, which also increases the likelihood of UTIs.
A bladder infection is a type of urinary tract infection, but not all UTIs are bladder infections. Bladder infections are the most common type of UTIs. A bladder infection may also be called cystitis and it is usually caused by bacteria.
What are the Symptoms of a UTI
Symptoms of a UTI can differ depending on what part of the urinary tract is infected.
A bladder infection usually causes symptoms that include the following:
- Burning when urinating (the medical term for this is dysuria)
- The feeling that you need to pee frequently, but when you go to the toilet very little urine comes out
- Pain in the pelvic area just above the pubic bone.
Bladder infections are usually considered a “simple UTI” and treatment is usually with antibiotics (such as trimethoprim or amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium) for three to five days. Symptoms usually resolve in a couple of days.
People with an infection of the urethra (called urethritis) may experience symptoms similar to a bladder infection in addition to itching or irritation at the end of the urethra where the pee comes out.
Symptoms of a kidney infection are usually more widespread and more severe than those of a bladder infection and may include:
- Fever or chills
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Pink or red-tinged urine (this is a sign of bleeding in the urinary tract)
- Burning when urinating
- The feeling that you need to pee frequently, but when you go to the toilet very little urine comes out
- Pain in the pelvic area just above the pubic bone
- Moderate to severe lower back pain
- Nausea or vomiting.
Kidney infections are considered the worse type of UTI and usually start as a bladder or urethra infection but then the bacteria multiply and travel up to the kidneys. Kidney infections are usually called complicated UTIs and some people may require hospitalization for intravenous antibiotics. Less severe infections may be treated with oral antibiotics over a week or more. Untreated kidney infections can be life-threatening.
Preventing UTIs
There is controversy over whether unsweetened cranberry juice is an effective treatment or prevention for UTIs. A 2013 review of 24 studies concluded that is was less effective than previously thought. The risk of UTIs may be lessened by staying hydrated and urinating when the need arises, not holding it in.
Women should wipe from front to back after a bowel movement, urinate before and after sex, and avoiding using douches, vaginal sprays, and scented feminine hygiene products. They should avoid wearing restrictive, synthetic clothing, or change out of such clothing as soon as possible after exercising or swimming.
