UTI- Symptoms, Risks, Recurrence, Treatment.

Urinary Tract Infection or UTI is the most common type of infection that is found in women. UTI means infection in the Urinary tract, that is bladder, Urethra, and upper portion of the kidney and causes inflammation in the infected parts.

UTI can be divided into two subtypes–

Upper Urinary tract infection and Lower urinary tract infection. The majority of patients suffer from Lower UTI, that is in females it is an infection of the urethra and in men, it is an infection of the prostate.

Symptoms–

Burning sensation during urine- When you pass urine, there is a burning sensation in every part of the urinary tract.

Frequent urination- Every 10-15 mins after, you’ll feel the urge to pass urine, because of the inflammation, the urinary bladder becomes irritable and cannot hold the urine for too long.

The urgency of urination- When you feel the urge to pass urine, that very moment you need to urinate. If you don’t pass urine at that moment, urine will be automatically passed. So there a very small duration of time remains between the urge of urination and actually evacuating it.

Other than these, pain in the lower abdomen or urination site, foul smell in urine, hematuria or reddish colored or dark colored urine, there remains no clarity in urine, it becomes pale in color, fever is also seen(but more in children and elderly people).

If not treated properly with antibiotics, there is a high chance of recurrence.

Types of UTI(based on duration)–

Recurrent UTI (three or more UTIs in 12 months or 2 or more UTIs in 6 months in 6 months with the same pathogen), reinfection (UTI caused by different types of the pathogen in more than four weeks after four weeks after last UTI), relapse UTI(recurrence of UTI caused by same species that caused the previous infection after therapy).

Prevalence–

UTI is most prevalent in women, as due to anatomical structure it makes it easier to catch an infection in the genitals.

Risk factors–

Normally, It can happen that pathogens present in our guts can travel to our urinary tract. It is normally removed through the urine. But there are some risk factors present that can increase the risk of UTI.

Any disease-related problems (having diabetes), low bicarbonate level, inadequate treatment by antibiotics, the tendency of holding urine for a longer period of time, or any kind of anatomical defects. With aging, especially in female, the natural hormones which make the urogenital area pH acidic becomes less. Due to this reason, it becomes easier for the pathogenic bacteria to pass through this less pH environment, leading to cause UTI. That’s why, after menopause, the chances of UTI increase, as there is a lack of a natural hormone that makes the tract acidic.

People who are constipated are prone to UTIs. People who lack sanitary hygiene practices(washing genital area properly, keeping undergarments clean, changing sanitary napkins every 6 hours, hygiene during intimacy in sexually active females).

Treatment of UTI patients is done in 2 phases-

1) Treatment of Acute infection- Treatment with some antibiotics and conservative medicines.

2) Prophylaxis treatment- Prophylaxis treatment is given to people who have recurrent UTIs so that the infection does not recur. Treatment with antibiotics depends on various factors like- the colony count and type of the pathogen found, the type of antibiotic the pathogens are resistive or sensitive to, the prevalence of bacteria in that area, etc.

Other than medication, studies have shown that exercise like Pelvic Floor Exercise is beneficial in UTI infection. You can easily learn and practice Pelvic Floor Exercise too.

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Diet advice, to help recover UTI

1. Cranberry juice for UTI- This juice increases a protective layer in the bladder against the UTI.
2. Horse gram dal- Cold infusion of horse gram dal works as a diuretic and decreases the chance of UTI.
3. Increase consumption of water.
4. Omega 3 fatty acid- Fish oil containing omega 3 fatty acids, can reduce the inflammation caused by UTI.    

Before you go for any kind of treatment, consult any Nephrologist or Urologist, and consult your dietitian before making any changes in your diet.