If you’ve ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI), you know it’s not something you want to go through again any time soon. UTIs are often more severe than they initially appear, and the symptoms of UTIs can be similar to those of other conditions, making it difficult to identify them on your own. If you think you may have an infection of the urinary tract, UTI Dyer has developed simple and easy ways to spot the signs and symptoms before they become more serious.
What Are Urinary Tract Infections?
The urinary tract includes your kidneys, bladder, urethra, and ureters. Infections in these areas are commonly caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract through a puncture wound or following unprotected sex. Common symptoms of UTIs include burning pain when urinating, frequent urges to urinate (especially at night), cloudy urine that may have a foul smell, or blood in the urine. Consult with your doctor if you have any of these symptoms or you experience swelling in your lower abdomen.
What Causes a UTI?
There are many possible causes of a UTI. One of the most common is when bacteria from your rectum migrate up to your urethra, where they are deposited in contact with bacteria in your urine. Another common cause is if you have a complication such as diabetes, kidney stones, or an enlarged prostate. Certain medications can also cause UTIs. Bacteria can infect more than one part of your urinary tract so if you think you may have one it’s important that you see a physician.
The different types of UTIs:
A UTI is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria in the bladder or urethra. Symptoms of a UTI include increased urgency, increased frequency, difficulty urinating or pressure in the bladder, or kidney pain. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be caused by sexual activity, using a diaphragm, pregnancy, prostate infection, and diabetes. There are four different types of UTIs: cystitis, urethritis (painful urination), pyelonephritis (kidney infection), and upper urinary tract infections. If left untreated UTIs can lead to kidney damage so contact your doctor right away if you have symptoms!
Diagnosing a UTI:
The majority of UTIs will be caused by bacteria in the bladder or urethra. Typical symptoms include urinary urgency, frequency, burning during urination, increased urge to pass urine, passing small amounts of urine at a time, pain when passing urine, or cloudy discharge from the penis for males. UTIs are most commonly diagnosed using a urine test called a urinalysis or when imaging techniques are used such as an ultrasound scan of your kidneys. Further investigation is needed if no infection is detected from these methods which can include CT scans or cystoscopy which involves inserting a small camera into your urethra to check for any abnormalities.
Differentiating Between Bacterial and Non-Bacterial UTIs:
People with bacterial UTIs experience more severe and sometimes more painful symptoms that are not just limited to your urinary tract. Common symptoms of a bacterial UTI can include blood in urine, high fever, nausea or vomiting, pain during urination, unusually frequent urination, or pain during intercourse. Here at UTI Dyer, we will go over the basics of common types of infections as well as treatments for all three classifications. Treatment for non-bacterial UTIs is usually an antibiotic regimen prescribed by a doctor but even if you have a bacterial infection it is important to have your medication taken properly in order to reduce side effects from long-term use. Bacterial infections usually respond better than non-bacterial so having them identified correctly is critical.
The Common Symptoms of Bacterial vs. Non-Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections:
- Bacterial infection: cloudy or bloody urine, painful urination, fever. – Non-bacterial infection: not as severe in symptoms. UTIs can occur for many reasons including wearing synthetic underwear, antibiotics, diabetes, lack of fluid intake, and genetics. To treat UTIs at home UTI Dyer recommends drinking plenty of fluids (try unsweetened cranberry juice), using a heating pad on your back when you have a UTI while lying down, drinking probiotics to keep bacteria at bay if you have recurrent UTIs due to antibiotics use or diabetes/kidney issues and make sure you are staying hydrated even if it means drinking more water than normal because dehydration is often one of the causes of urinary tract infections.
The Solutions for Each Type of Urinary Tract Infection:
- Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder that causes frequent urination, pelvic pain, pressure on the bladder, or a feeling that you cannot empty your bladder fully. It usually goes away within a few days without treatment, but if it persists for more than two weeks you should get it checked out. Antibiotics are often prescribed in this case. 2. Prostatitis Prostatic pain may occur as an individual’s prostate gland enlarges during and after puberty when nerve pathways are being reorganized in response to hormonal changes such as those experienced at menopause, or due to certain sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea or chlamydia 3.
