Urinary tract infections – Causes, precautions, and management
A common type of infection in the human body is urinary tract infection (UTI). This is more difficult to be managed if one is exposed to an unclean environment constantly and more specifically the sanitation zone. UTI is seen across age groups though infants up to 6 months have a minimum probability of just around 0.2%. Women are at greater risk than men as women’s urinary tract structures are very easily exposed.
Bacterial infections of the urinary tract are a very common reason to seek medical services. Normally, the urinary tract is sterile because of the bacteria ascending upwards are regularly washed out by urination.
Some strains of lactobacillus and staphylococcus contribute to the normal flora in the urethra. Urinary infections occur when bacteria (Escherichia coli) from the digestive tract get into the opening of the urinary tract and multiply. The bacteria first infect the urethra, further moving to the bladder, and finally infecting the kidneys.
Causes of UTI
There are several factors which make you vulnerable to UTI. These include:
Classification of UTI
There are two types of urinary infections based on the site of infection:
UTI may be further classified into symptomatic and asymptomatic based on clinical observations. Another classification is community-acquired UTI and hospital-acquired UTI.
Females are more prone to UTI, primarily due to the following reasons:
Symptoms of UTI
The following symptoms may be noticed if you acquire UTI:
The following tips will help you to protect yourself from UTI.
There are some foods known to lower your urinary pH and hence must be avoided. You must cut down on your intake of animal protein, phosphoric acid loaded beverages, such as sodas, and unnecessary supplementation of vitamin C.
Managing and treating urinary infections
Sometimes it becomes challenging for the clinicians to identify the patients requiring antibiotic treatment for urinary infections. Owing to such uncertainty, the clinicians opt for empiric antibiotics, which may result in high rates of bacterial resistance. To avoid such mutations, the clinicians should encourage preliminary steps like hydration and proper sanitation and delay empiric antibiotic use. However, in patients with symptomatic UTI, optimal antimicrobial agent, and its dose and duration should be recommended only to target the causative organism, thereby avoiding any side effects.
UTI, being highly recurrent in nature, can be effectively treated by the antibiotic-free approach. This is successful in the long run as the growing problem of pathogens resistant to antibiotics can be curtailed. Always ensure to keep your surrounding clean. Live safe and ensure the safety of others by creating awareness.