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Urinary tract infections (UTI), sometimes mistakenly called a urinary track infection, can be found in both men and women and can cause a good deal of discomfort. UTI’s can also be known as a bladder infection or kidney infection. Urinary tract (track) infection symptoms and bladder infection symptoms are important to identify and understand.
Your urinary tract includes your bladder and kidney. These organs and others (ureters, urethra and prostate) store and release urine from the body. Together, these organs make up your urinary tract.
Causes
When bacteria travel up through one of your urinary tract organs and the body is not able to get rid of it, an infection occurs. In most cases, the bacteria is fought off by the body but some people seem to be more susceptible to infections. Women and older folks are among those more susceptible to urinary tract infections.
Women are more likely than men to get an infection of the bladder, kidney or urinary tract, but men may have more difficulty fighting off the infections. Men’s infections tend to be more serious, more difficult to treat, and recur more often. A person who has a condition that makes it difficult to urinate is more prone to urinary tract infections.
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection/Bladder Infection
See your doctor if you are experiencing any of the following urinary infection symptoms:
- Dark urine
- Cloudy urine
- Bloody urine
- Unusual smelling urine
- Burning sensation when you urinate
- Frequent or strong urge to urinate
- Frequent or strong urge to urinate even if you “go” only a little
- Pain in your lower back
- Pain in your abdomen
- Fever
- Chills
It is important to be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. Untreated urinary tract infections can create more serious infections in the kidneys.
Treatment of Infections
Antibiotics are a common course of treatment for infections of the urinary tract. Your specific case should be evaluated taking into consideration your gender, frequency of infection, and other aspects impacting infection severity. Your doctor may ask you how much water you drink and you may need to pee in a cup in order for your urine to be examined in a laboratory.
Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections
Some of the following habits may help prevent you from getting an infection of the urinary tract:
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to help “clean” bacteria out of your system
- Go to the bathroom shortly after sex to flush out and bacteria that may have gone into the urethra.
- Drink cranberry juice.
- Take vitamin C.
- Wear cotton underwear and choose loose-fitting clothing so that there is “air flow” down there.
- When using the restroom, always wipe from front to back.
- Do not hold your urine. Go as soon as you feel the urge.
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