Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Kehinde rushed off again to the convenience room for the third time during the two-hour meeting. She could not exactly understand what she had been experiencing. Lately, she noticed she frequently had this pressing and rather sudden urge to urinate. It was so serious she had to run off very often to use the bathroom, but despite how strong the urge was, she’d pass only a small amount of urine that looked cloudy, with some burning sensation whenever she urinated. The frequency of having to excuse herself and hurry to the bathroom was becoming really embarrassing, especially during work related meetings. 

At the end of the day’s work, Kehinde decided to put a call across to her doctor. After a brief phone conversation with Kehinde describing her predicament, Kehinde’s doctor related to her that she may have a urinary tract infection, and invited her to the hospital facility for further medical tests. 

WHAT’S A URINARY TRACT INFECTION?

A urinary tract infection is an infection in any part of your urinary system, which is made up of the:

1. Kidneys; which produce urine
2. Ureters;  which convey urine from the kidneys
3. Bladder; which stores urine until it is ready to be excreted
4. Urethra; which conveys the urine from the bladder and out of the body.

 Most urinary tract infections involve the lower part of the urinary system (tract), which are, the bladder and the urethra.

TYPES OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Urinary tract infections are classified based on the part of the urinary tract where the infection is present. Based on this, there is:

1. Pyelonephritis; which is an infection of the kidneys. This is very serious and can have serious consequences.
2. Cystitis; an infection of the bladder, where urine is stored.
3. Urethritis; an infection of the urethra, which conveys urine out of the body. 

Of these three, urethritis and cystitis are more common, but pyelonephritis is less common and more dangerous.

HOW COMMON ARE URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS?

Urinary tract infections are very common. They are more common in women than in men, because women have a shorter urethra hence bacteria are more easily able to get in. It is also more common in women who are sexually active than those who are not, but can also happen even in non sexually active women and in children. 

In the U.S, urinary tract infections are the most common out-patient (not on admission) infections.

Between 50-60% of adult women will have a urinary tract infection at least once in lifetime, and that goes to say just how common it really is.

WHAT CAUSES URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS?

Urinary tract infections occur when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra (the outlet of urine) and begin to multiply in the bladder (the storage place). Although the urinary tract is designed to keep bacteria out, sometimes this fails to happen and bacteria gets in. Some factors may contribute to this, such as:

1. The female anatomy; because females have a shorter urethra, hence, there is shorter distance for bacteria from outside to reach the bladder and then begin to multiply.
2. Sexual activity; Sexually active women tend to have urinary tract infections more than women who are not sexually active. 
3. Menopause; A decline or decrease in the female hormone, estrogen, during menopause causes changes to occur in the urinary tract, making  such women more vulnerable to urinary tract infections.
4. Urinary tract abnormalities; as babies born with urinary tract abnormalities which prevent their urine from leaving the body normally or cause urine to go back up in the urethra are more likely to have urinary tract infections.
5. Blockages in the urinary tract, e.g kidney stones, an enlarged prostate, etc.
6. A suppressed immune system; for example, diabetes mellitus can suppress the body’s immune system and hence its defence against germs and make it more likely for bacteria and other germs to have their way in the urinary tract.
7. Recent urinary procedure, such as catheter use in hospitalized patients, urinary surgery or examination of the urinary tract using medical instruments.
8. Also, people who tend to hold in urine for longer periods of time without emptying their bladder are likely to have urinary tract infections because any bacteria that may have gotten in the bladder has more time to multiply in the bladder and infect it.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection include:

1. A strong urge to urinate that occurs often.
2. A burning sensation when urinating.
3. Passing frequent and small amounts of urine.
4. Urine that appears cloudy.
5. Urine that appears red, bright link or coca cola colored, a sign of blood in the urine.
6. Strong smelling urine.
7. Lower abdominal pain in women.

Complications may also occur, such as:

1. Recurring infection of the urinary tract
2. Permanent kidney damage (if the infection is in the kidney and is not treated quickly enough).
3. Pregnant women with urinary tract infection may have their babies born before term (preterm babies)
4. Urethral narrowing in men
5. The infection may spread to the entire  body system, a critical condition called sepsis.

TREATMENT

Treatment of a urinary tract infection depends on the cause. Your doctor will determine the type of infection, and the kind of microorganism causing the infection(whether bacteria, fungi or virus. This will be done by carrying out some tests. 

Antibiotics are mostly used since urinary tract infections are mostly caused by bacteria, though this is not always the case. Sometimes, viruses or fungi are the cause and these are also treated accordingly.

PREVENTION

To prevent urinary tract infections, be sure to:

1. Drink a lot of liquids, especially water, as this helps dilute the urine and ensures more frequent urination, so that any bacteria present can be flushed out from the urinary tract before an infection can occur.

2. Wipe from front to back after urinating or after bowel movement, to prevent bacteria in the anal region from spreading to the vagina/urethra

3. Empty bladder soon after sex and drink a full glass of water. 

4. Avoid using feminine products that may cause irritation, such as deodorants, sprays douches, powder etc.