Urinary Tract Infection

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of one or more components of the urinary tract. The urinary tract consists of two kidneys, two ureters, one bladder and one external urinary tract (the urethra). Usually a bacterium (most often E.coli) travels up the urinary tract from the external urinary opening and multiplies in the bladder. Once it multiplies, it causes certain symptoms, which can generally be summarized as burning during urination, groin pain, urinary incontinence, nausea, vomiting and a frequent urge to urinate. If the urinary tract infection reaches the kidney, fever and kidney pain are added to these complaints.

Improper cleaning leads to infection

Anatomically, the external urinary tract (urethra) is shorter in women than in men. This makes it easier for bacteria to reach the bladder and causes cystitis. For this reason, urinary tract infections are most common in women. Among the factors that lead to urinary tract infection, improper hygiene ranks near the top. Many women clean from back to front after using the toilet. However, this carries organisms around the anus to the vagina and causes urinary tract infection. Correct cleaning is done from front to back. In addition, mechanical trauma during sexual intercourse, and the mechanical transfer of bacteria nesting in the genital area to the external urinary tract during intercourse, also increase the tendency to infection.

A urinary tract infection can spread to the kidney

The symptoms of a urinary tract infection include frequent urination, burning and stinging during urination, a feeling of incomplete emptying, blood in the urine, darkening and cloudiness of urine color, and pain during sexual intercourse. If intervention is delayed, the bacteria reach the kidneys. This can lead to the development of more severe infections with fever that require hospitalization.

If treatment is delayed, the disease can become chronic

Treatment generally uses antibiotics and urinary tract cleansers. With correct treatment, complaints disappear within 24-48 hours. However, as a result of delayed treatment or ill-informed practices, the disease can progress, spread to the kidneys and become chronic. In people who do not take the necessary precautions, chronic urinary tract infections recurring 3 or more times in 1 year can occur. In frequently recurring urinary tract infections the cause should be investigated; otherwise they can cause permanent damage or even, in some cases, death (especially in elderly people and those with additional illnesses).

See a doctor without wasting time

If any of the symptoms of urinary tract infection is seen, it is very important to see an infectious diseases doctor without wasting time. The possibility of another disease must also be considered and all necessary tests performed. In particular, the urine culture is very important in diagnosis because it provides information about which bacterium caused the infection and which antibiotics it is sensitive to. As a result, the urinary tract infection is cleared with the treatment given by the doctor. People with symptoms of a urinary tract infection should absolutely not take medication on the advice of relatives without seeing a doctor (because antibiotic use can adversely affect the urine culture result). To avoid a urinary tract infection, it is necessary to drink plenty of water and observe the rules of hygiene.