What is urinary tract infection?
Urinary tract infection is the infection of the urinary tract with various microorganisms.
Who gets urinary tract infection?
Urinary tract infection is more common in women than men. In addition, disruption of the normal structural integrity of the urinary tract in the elderly is a risk factor for urinary tract infection. Apart from this, infections can be seen more in those who have a urinary catheter in the urinary tract for medical reasons.
What are urinary tract infection symptoms?
Burning during urination and frequent urination are the most common symptoms of urinary tract infection. Sometimes symptoms of fever and bloody urine may also occur. Urinary tract infection can sometimes cause kidney infection. This more serious condition is called “pyelonephritis”. Mild or severe back and flank pain may also be seen in these patients.
What are causes of urinary tract infection?
In particular, improper toilet cleaning, frequent use of public toilets, polygamy, not washing before intercourse, careless masturbation in women, unhygienic pools can cause urinary tract infections. Interventions in the urinary tract (operation, catheter insertion) are another cause of infection. Poor hygiene habits and an infected sexual partner can also lead to infections.
Apart from these reasons, urinary tract infection can occur without a certain transmission in diseases such as diabetes, immune system deficiency (cancer patients).
How is urinary tract infection diagnosed?
First of all, the diagnosis is made with the support of laboratory tests as well as clinical symptoms.
Clinical signs of urinary tract infection are:
- Burning in urination,
- Frequent urination,
- Sometimes foul-smelling and turbid urination,
- Bloody urine,
- High fever,
- Low back and inguinal pain.
When these complaints occur, the physician should be consulted. Most of the time, the diagnosis is made with a simple urinalysis and urine culture. Depending on the patient’s condition, the physician may also sometimes request a blood test and ultrasonography.
How to treat urinary tract infection?
The standard treatment for urinary tract infection is antibiotic therapy as deemed appropriate by the physician. In most cases, outpatient antibiotic therapy is sufficient. However, hospitalization may be required in elderly or immunocompromised patients with severe infections or poor general condition. This situation may need to be investigated in patients with frequently recurrent urinary tract infections. In the presence of structural urinary tract disorders that may cause frequent infections, surgical intervention may sometimes be required.
What should be considered in order to avoid urinary tract infection?
First of all, it would be useful not to use areas such as pools and washbasins that are not sure of their hygiene. In addition, patients with frequent urinary tract infections may be recommended to urinate after entering the pool or after sexual intercourse. And, it is not recommended for female patients to traumatize their genital areas with chemical products such as soap and shower gel for cleaning purposes. This process may cause disruption of the existing beneficial bacterial flora, increasing the risk of infection.