At least half of all women will experience a urinary tract infection in their lifetime according to the Journal of South African Family Practice. It is an easily treatable and preventable condition that can cause significant discomfort and complications if not managed early.
According to a statement released by Kotex, the urinary tract involves all structures related to the production and expulsion of urine from the body including the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. It is normally tercile, meaning that it doesn’t have any bacteria or other organisms inside of it.
According to Medscape, a urinary tract infection (UTI) is diagnosed when you have symptoms of cystitis (a bladder infection) or pyelonephritis (an upper urinary tract infection) in the presence of bacteria or organisms in the urine seen on a urine test. This implies that bacteria have moved from the surface of the urethra and up into the urinary tract. The most common causes for the infection are bacteria, which is why the treatment is most commonly an antibiotic. A yeast such as Candida can also be a common cause.
The most common reported symptoms are those of cystitis (bladder infection) which include pain or burning when urinating, lower abdominal pain, increased frequency in urination, a feeling or urgency or that you’re about to wet yourself when needing to go to the toilet, passing small amounts of urine more often and bloody discolouration or cloudiness of the urine. Symptoms of pyelonephritis, or upper UTI, includes the symptoms for cystitis as well as flank pain, fever, pain in the middle of your back on either side of your spine and nausea and vomiting.
Risk factors for getting a urinary tract infection:
- Women are more likely to get a UTI than men because of the short length of the urethra as well as close proximity to the vagina which houses many bacteria
- Poor hygiene is also a leading cause as an overgrowth of bacteria increases its chance of spread into the urinary tract
- While it is not always necessary, urinating after sexual intercourse decreases the number of bacteria near the urethra which minimises infection
- A weakened immune system due to diabetes, use of steroids or immunosuppressive drugs, poorly controlled HIV infection or increased stress levels
- Infrequent urination or incomplete voiding of the bladder, especially seen in people who have bladder diseases or neurological injuries that require them to insert a catheter to urinate
- Foreign bodies in the UTI such as a urinary catheter, kidney stones, stents, etc. as these provide a source for the organisms to attach and grow
- If you’ve had a UTI before, you are at increased risk of having another one.
Healthcare practitioners use two kinds of urine tests to diagnose a UTI. The first is the urine dipstix test – you will be asked to provide a clean-catch specimen of urine in a sterile bottle. A strip will be inserted into the fluid and after about 60 seconds, the test will be interpreted to see if there is any blood, white blood cells or nitrites in the urine which suggest an infection. The second is taking a laboratory sample – the doctor will send the specimen to the lab to check the kind of bacteria or yeast that is growing in the urine as well as the kind of medication that can be used to treat it. This test result can take 48 to 72 hours to come back
The most common course of treatment for a urinary tract infection is antibiotics or antifungal therapy depending on the cause of the infection. It is very important that the full duration of the course of treatment is completed even if the symptoms go away as the bacteria may still be present. It can take seven days for the first episode of an uncomplicated UTI, or as many as 14 to 21 days for a complicated or fungal UTI. You may need some intravenous antibiotics as well.
It is also important to make sure that you drink fluids regularly to ensure that you are urinating at least twice a day, do not hold your urine in for long periods of time, this is especially important for young children, wipe from front to back when going to the toilet and either urinate after sexual intercourse, or if you don’t feel the need to, use a clean cloth and warm water to clean the urethra.
If you have any concerns or are not sure about what to do, always go to your nearest local clinic or general practitioner to seek help or advice.
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