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Each woman who had at least once a urinary tract infection knows that one of its first signs is the back pain. What if you never had a cystitis or a pyelonephritis? Men can develop prostatitis (infection of the prostate , the gland located close to the bladder which plays its role in the semen production) and they discover it very late. How can you know that you need to consult a specialist?

What is UTI?

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined as the presence of multiplying micro-organisms which colonize the tract through which urine flows through: kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and urethra.

Infection Route

The urina of a healthy person contains no traces of bacteria. On the other hand, the patient with a urinary infection is infected with these multiplying micro-organisms which reach the urinary tract from the rectum. When the bacteria go up from the urethra to the bladder and further up to the kidneys, they find a favorable environment and start multiplying. The high number of women who suffer from this painful disease can be explained by the difference in the female urinary tract structure as the urethra is shorter than the male one.

UTI Signs

As the kidney infection is more severe than the bladder infection, in the first case the symptoms are more severe.

1. Back pain
2. Burning sensation when urinating
3. Pain in the middle subpubic region
4. Frequent urinating, but in small amounts
5. Cloudy urine
6. Fever
7. Nausea
8. Vomiting

Diagnosis

When the doctor examines you and considers that you have some or all of these sign will send you to a urinalysis. The presence of nitrites, leukocytes or Leukocyte esterase (enzyme released by white blood cells) will indicate the presence of the infection. After this first test comes positive your doctor will order a urine culture to determine the exact type of bacteria.

Causes of UTI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the main agent that causes urinary tract infections. Initially present in the rectum, it reaches very easily the urethra and from there it finds an open road to attacking the kidneys. The urethra is the first stop in the E. coli voyage. The infection occurred after their multiplication is called urethritis. In the second stage, the E. coli travel up the urinary tract until they reach the bladder and the infection is called cystitis. In the final stage the kidney is infected

In many cases, bacteria first travel to the urethra. When bacteria multiply, an infection can occur. An infection limited to the urethra is called urethritis. If bacteria move to the bladder and multiply, a bladder infection, called cystitis, results. If the infection is not treated promptly, bacteria may then travel further up the ureters to multiply and infect the kidneys. A kidney infection is called pyelonephritis.

Besides Escherichia coli the bladder infections may be caused by Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterbacter spp and Enterococcus spp.

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