Urinary Tract Infection: What is it, what causes it, what are its symptoms and treatment?

Urinary tract infections, known to be one of the most common bacterial infections seen in adults, are an important infection that affects 150 million people every year worldwide and can cause sepsis and require admission to the intensive care unit. Bacterial infections in the urinary tract are one of the important health problems that are encountered frequently, especially in sexually active women, and if not treated correctly, can recur frequently and lead to kidney infection. Therefore, it is extremely important to have accurate information about urinary tract infection, to recognize the signs and symptoms in time, and to control the infection with the right methods.

Urinary tract infections, known to be one of the most common bacterial infections seen in adults, are an important infection that affects 150 million people every year worldwide and can cause sepsis and require admission to the intensive care unit. Bacterial infections in the urinary tract are one of the important health problems that are encountered frequently, especially in sexually active women, and if not treated correctly, can recur frequently and lead to kidney infection. Therefore, it is extremely important to have accurate information about urinary tract infection, to recognize the signs and symptoms in time, and to control the infection with the right methods.

Urinary tract infections, known to be one of the most common bacterial infections seen in adults, are an important infection that affects 150 million people every year worldwide and can cause sepsis and require admission to the intensive care unit. The urinary system, which ensures the body’s fluid balance, consists of the kidneys, the urinary bladder, and the channels called ureters that connect these structures. If the healthy flora is disrupted and the bacterial density increases in any of these structures of the urinary system, a urinary tract infection develops. Bacterial infections in the urinary tract are one of the important health problems that are encountered frequently, especially in sexually active women, and if not treated correctly, can recur frequently and lead to kidney infection. Therefore, it is extremely important to have accurate information about urinary tract infection, to recognize the signs and symptoms in time, and to control the infection with the right methods.

What is Urinary Tract Infection?

The urine produced in the kidneys is transmitted to the bladder through channels called ureters, and from there it is excreted out of the body through another channel called urethra. Urine is a sterile body fluid under normal conditions. Therefore, all these structures where urine is produced, transmitted and stored are sterile structures with a healthy bacterial balance. However, in some cases, for example, if the urethra entrance comes into contact with feces, the sterile structure is disrupted and bacterial infection develops. Infections occurring in the urethra, known as the lower urinary tract, and the ureters, known as the upper urinary tract, are generally defined as urinary tract infections.

Since these channels, called urinary tracts, are in contact with all structures of the urinary system, the risk of transmitting any infection that occurs here to other structures such as the bladder and kidney is quite high. Infections that especially affect the kidneys can cause serious damage to the tissues of these organs and lead to organ loss in the future. Therefore, it is important to have knowledge about the factors that cause urinary tract infection and to protect themselves from them correctly.

What Causes Urinary Tract Infection?

There are various risk factors that can cause urinary tract infection at every stage of life. The main one is that the lower urinary tract, especially in women, is anatomically short and is located close to the anus, making it suitable for contact with feces. Due to these two important points, the female gender is at a much higher risk than the male gender in terms of urinary tract infection, both in childhood and in adulthood and old age. In men, the lower urinary tract, called urethra, is anatomically longer and at the same time, prostate fluid has antibacterial properties. Thanks to these two important points that protect men against urinary tract infection, the rate of development of urinary tract infection is low in men between the ages of 1-50.

However, in some cases, the risk of urinary tract infection increases at different rates for both genders. These can be listed as follows:

• Previous urinary system infection: Having a history of infection in any area of ​​the urinary system disrupts the healthy floral balance of these structures and this makes the person prone to recurrent infections.
• Being sexually active: The close proximity of the urinary system organs and genital organs increases the contact of these systems, and therefore the risk of transmission of an existing infection from one system to another is high. Post-coital urinary tract infection is common, especially in sexually active women between the ages of 18-24.
• Menopause: During menopause, which is one of the normal processes of the healthy life cycle, serious changes occur in many systems of the female body. Especially the significant change in the hormonal system may make the person more susceptible to urinary tract infection during menopause.
• Urinary incontinence: Uncontrolled discharge of urine from the bladder creates a moist environment at the beginning of the urinary tract, and this increases the risk of developing both urinary system-related infections and genital infectious diseases.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection

The first symptom of an infection in the urinary tract is often a burning sensation while urinating. Increased bacterial density in the ureters or urethra disrupts the healthy pH value of the urine, causing a burning sensation in the structures that come into contact with urine. However, frequent urination is one of the most common symptoms of urinary tract infections. The person frequently experiences a feeling of fullness in the bladder, but may only urinate a little more than a few drops.

Another symptom of urinary tract infection is the complaint of pain felt in the lower abdomen and on one or both sides of the body. Depending on the location of the infection, the area where the pain occurs may vary. However, increased pain, especially during urination, is one of the common symptoms of urinary tract infection. The increased amount of bacteria in the urine disrupts the ideal pH level of the urine and may also cause a change in its color and density. In case of infection, the urine often appears cloudy and/or bloody. Urgent intervention is recommended, especially since blood in the urine may indicate an advanced urinary tract infection.

What is Urinary Tract Infection and Cystitis?

Urinary tract infections occur in the upper and lower urinary tract. Cystitis is any bacterial infection in the bladder wall. Urinary tract infection and cystitis, which cause almost the same complaints, may occur at different times or simultaneously. However, since these structures are interconnected, an infection that occurs in one of the structures usually quickly passes to the other. Therefore, it is necessary to know that all risk factors that are valid for urinary tract infection are also valid for bladder infection, the symptoms in the early stages of the disease should be detected correctly and interventions to control the infection should be implemented quickly.

How to Treat Urinary Tract Infection?

Many patients with urinary tract infections do not need hospitalization and the infection can be controlled with outpatient treatment. However, close monitoring and inpatient treatment are required in cases such as persistent high fever, severe waist/abdominal pain, severe weakness and weakness, inability to maintain oral nutrition and fluid intake, and complete cessation of urination.

In cases of infection that can be controlled with outpatient treatment, it is possible to shorten the duration of the disease and strengthen the treatment response with some curative interventions. To do this, first of all, plenty of fluid intake should be ensured and urine containing infection in the urinary system should be expelled from the urinary tract. Patients are recommended to consume at least 2-3 liters of fluid a day (fluid intake is calculated according to the patient’s weight and kidney and heart health) and to be careful to empty the urine quickly without keeping it in the bladder.

However, there are studies showing that some types of food are good for urinary tract infections. The most important of these are calcium supplements, which alkalize urine and make it easier to reach a healthy pH value. Calcium consumed in the initial stages of the disease-related complaints controls the severity of the infection and also improves the course of the disease by relieving complaints such as burning during urination. In addition, there are studies showing that foods such as tea, coffee, wine and cranberries, which are rich in antioxidant polyphenol group compounds, are effective in preventing urinary tract infection.