Urinary Tract Infection - Causes And Symptoms

The structure responsible for production, transportation, storage and excretion of urine form the urinary tract. Kidney, ureters, bladder and urethra are structures involved in urine formation and excretion process. Kidney filters nearly 3 ounces of blood, removes waste materials every minute. When these get infected with entry of any micro organism or any other pathological condition, then the person gets urinary tract infection (UTI).

Causes and symptoms
Urinary tract infections are more common in women than men because of the small size of the urethra (4cms) and also because of the squatting position of voiding. Entry of organisms like bacteria, viruses and fungi are the major cause of UTI. The person may experience burning sensation and pain when voiding, fever is indicated when the infection has reached the kidneys or prostate glands in male. Other symptoms include pain in back, ribs, nausea and vomiting.

Preventive measures

Though antibiotics are used to treat the present infection there are increased chance of getting the recurrent infection. So it is best advised to follow the preventive measures to stay away safely from getting infected.

1. Drink plenty of water nearly 2- 3litres of water per day and urinate when you feel the need , don’t control or resist voiding when you feel the urge as this may give room for the organisms to grow well
2. Urinate after sexual intercourse. change the birth control measures if UTI is a recurrent problem
3. Wash front to back, wipe off thoroughly after emptying the bladder so as to prevent the entry of organisms into the urethra.
4. Avoid wearing tight fitting clothes. Always prefer cotton inner garments and loose fitting clothes so that air entry keeps the area moist and free from bacteria.
5. Cranberry juice works best and it is the natural treatment for bladder infections. Cranberries have a special substance that can avoid the entry of E.coli into the bladder, but it does not have much effect on recurrent UTI infections. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a nephrologist.