Introduction

The human urinary tract system consists of two kidneys roughly the size of your fist, a urinary bladder, ureters that connect the kidneys to the bladder, and the urethra that allows urine to be passed out through the genitalia.

Urinary tract infections most commonly affect the urinary bladder, but if not treated, they may lead on to infections in the kidneys too. Urinary tract infections affect women more than men. This is because a woman's urethra is shorter, thus increasing the likelihood that bacteria from around the perineum or anus may migrate upward to the bladder.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections usually present with dysuria, a term your doctor used to denote pain on passing urine. The urine may sometimes also be stained with blood. The patient often feels the urge to urinate, resulting in an increased frequency of passing urine. However, the amount of urine passed out is usually small.

These symptoms worsen if the infection is left untreated.

The infection may even spread upward to the kidneys, causing pain over the loin and high fever. These additional symptoms are indicative that the bladder infection has now been complicated with an infection in one or both kidneys, a condition called acute pyelonephritis, which requires urgent medical treatment.

Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections

When you are presented with the symptoms of urinary bladder infection, you should immediately seek your doctor's advice. Usually, he will take a urine sample to confirm the presence of infection in the bladder before starting you on a course of antibiotics. You must remember to complete the course of antibiotics and then re-visit him to test your urine again to make sure that the infection has been completely eradicated.

Urinary bladder infections that are not completely eradicated or partially treated have a tendency to recur.

On the other hand, if you are having high fever and painful loin, chances are you are suffering from acute pyelonephritis (infection of the kidney) and will generally require admission to a hospital for intravenous antibiotic treatment.

Preventive Measures

It is believed that bacteria from the anus can track upward to the urethral opening, especially in women, and from there lead to infection in the bladder. Thus, one way to prevent urinary tract infection is to wipe yourself from the front to the back when you passed motion. This way, you are less likely to contaminate the urethral opening.

You should also make sure that you drink enough water daily. The recommended amount is at least 1.5 to 2 litres a day. This will ensure that you are adequately hydrated and that your bladder is sufficiently flushed each day.

Lastly, knowing that a simple bladder infection may lead to more serious infection in the kidney, you should consult your doctor early whenever you suspect that you have a urinary tract infection. It is also important that you make sure your infection is adequately treated and you should not skip the follow up visit at the end of the antibiotic treatment.