Urinary Tract Infections in Adults

When you have a UTI, the lining of the bladder and urethra become red and irritated just as your throat does when you have a cold. The irritation can cause pain in your lower abdomen or pelvic area and even lower back, and will usually make you feel like urinating more often. Burning or pain when urinating is the most common symptom. You may even feel a strong urge or need to urinate but only get a few drops. This is because the bladder is so irritated that it makes you feel like you have to urinate, even when you don't have much urine in your bladder. At times, you may lose control and leak urine. You may also find that your urine smells bad and is cloudy.

Kidney infections often cause fevers and upper back pain - usually on one side or the other. Kidney infections may also often cause nausea and vomiting. These infections need to be treated at once because a kidney infection can spread into the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening health issue.

Large numbers of bacteria live in the area around the vagina and rectum and also on your skin. Bacteria may get into the urine from the urethra and travel into the bladder. They may even travel up to the kidney. But no matter how far they go, bacteria in the urinary tract can cause problems.

Just as some people are more prone to colds, some people are more prone to UTIs. Women are more likely to get a UTI than men because women have shorter urethras than men, so bacteria have a shorter distance to travel to reach the bladder.

Some factors that can add to your chances of getting a UTI are:

Body Factors

Women who have gone through menopause have changes in the lining of the vagina and lose the protection that estrogen provides against UTIs. Some women are genetically predisposed to UTIs and have urinary tracts that make it easier for bacteria to cling to them. Sexual intercourse can also affect how often you get UTIs.

Birth Control

Women who use diaphragms have also been found to have a higher risk of UTIs when compared to those who use other forms of birth control. Using condoms with spermicidal foam is also known to be linked to greater risk of UTIs in women.

Abnormal Anatomy

You are more likely to get a UTI if your urinary tract has an abnormality or has recently had a device (such as a catheter tube to drain fluid from the bladder) placed in it. If you are not able to urinate normally because of some type of blockage, you will also have a higher chance of a UTI.

Anatomical abnormalities in the urinary tract may also lead to UTIs. These abnormalities are often found in children at an early age but can still be found in adults. There may be structural abnormalities, such as outpouchings called diverticula, that harbor bacteria in the bladder or urethra, or even blockages, such as an enlarged bladder, that keep the body from draining all the urine from the bladder.

Immune System

Issues such as diabetes (high blood sugar) also put people at higher risk for UTIs because the body is not able to fight off germs as well.

There are two types of UTIs: simple and complicated. Simple UTIs are infections that happen in healthy people with normal urinary tracts.

Complicated UTIs happen in abnormal urinary tracts or when most antibiotics cannot treat the bacteria causing the infection. Most women have simple UTIs, while the UTIs in men and children should be thought of as complicated.

Simple UTI

A simple UTI can be treated with a short course of antibiotic meds. A short, 3-day course of an appropriate antibiotic will often treat most uncomplicated UTIs. However, some infections may need to be treated longer. Pain and the urge to urinate often go away after a few doses, but you should still take the full course of the antibiotic to ensure all the UTI is treated, even if you feel better. Unless UTIs are fully treated, they can return. You should also drink plenty of liquids, especially around the time of a UTI.

Postmenopausal women with UTIs may be helped by topical (vaginal) hormone replacement with estrogen. Since some patients may have other medical issues that prevent them from using estrogen, you should talk with your health care provider before starting any treatment.

Complicated UTI

If the UTI is a complicated UTI, then a longer course of antibiotics is given. Sometimes the antibiotic therapy may be started intravenously (IV) in the hospital. After a short period of IV antibiotics, the antibiotics are given by mouth for up to 2 weeks. Kidney infections are often treated as a complicated UTI.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): Most Commonly Asked Questions