What Causes Urinary Tract Infections
Normal urine is sterile and contains fluids, salts, and waste products. It does not contain bacteria, viruses, or fungi. A UTI occurs when germs, most often bacteria from the digestive tract, get into the opening of the urethra and start to multiply.
Most UTIs are caused by E. coli bacteria, which normally live in the colon.
How Are Urinary Tract Infections Treated
You will need to treat a urinary tract infection. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria and fight an infection. Antibiotics are typically used to treat urinary tract infections. Your healthcare provider will pick a drug that best treats the particular bacteria thats causing your infection. Some commonly used antibiotics can include:
- Nitrofurantoin.
- Doxycycline.
- Quinolones .
Its very important that you follow your healthcare providers directions for taking the medicine. Dont stop taking the antibiotic because your symptoms go away and you start feeling better. If the infection is not treated completely with the full course of antibiotics, it can return.
If you have a history of frequent urinary tract infections, you may be given a prescription for antibiotics that you would take at the first onset of symptoms. Other patients may be given antibiotics to take every day, every other day, or after sexual intercourse to prevent the infection. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best treatment option for you if you have a history of frequent UTIs.
Other Ways To Help Manage A Uti:
- Drinking plenty of water may help to dilute your urine and help flush out bacteria that causes UTIs.
- Avoid coffee, alcohol and soft drinks that contain citrus juices and caffeine. They can irritate your bladder and aggravate your need to urinate. No thanks.
- Place a heating pad over your abdomen to help ease pressure and discomfort.
- Once your UTI is treated, maintain a healthy urinary tract with AZO Cranberry®, in the form of your choice: caplets, softgels or gummies.*
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Following Hygienic Sexual Habits
Hygienic sexual habits certainly save you from terrible urinary tract infection. Men should more proactively maintain the hygiene of their private parts. This is because bacteria tend to grow rapidly under the foreskin of the penis if you do not maintain proper hygiene.
Here are a few tips you can follow:
-Pass urine before and after sexual intercourse.-Always use protection while having sex.-Properly wash your intimate area, especially the foreskin of the penis.-Make sure that your partner does not have any UTI.-Never use the same condom for vaginal and anal sex.
These hygiene practices will limit the chances of transmission of infections through sexual intercourse.
Yeast Infection Treatment: How To Treat Yeast Infection
If you want to know how to treat a yeast infection naturally, you cant go wrong with probiotics.
These are important ingredients in many treatments because they can help to restore the natural balance of bacteria in your body.
Probiotics are the good bacteria we all need to maintain good health and many of us suffer from a lack of these in our bodies.
Once you take probiotics, you will be able to treat the problem in a more complete way than you could without them.
Knowing how to treat a yeast infection naturally begins with knowing what to avoid.
You should avoid eating a lot of sugar and processed foods because these foods feed the bad bacteria, which in turn encourages the growth of yeast.
Also, if you notice that any of the signs of infection appear during times of high stress.
Then you may need to take some sort of antibiotic or prescription drugs to get rid of it.
To learn how to treat yeast infection naturally, you have to find something that has been proven to be a successful cure for yeast infections.
Fortunately, this is a relatively simple process.
You will want to look for treatments that work by killing the yeast before it even gets a chance to grow and cause an infection.
Natural supplementsare the best way to learn how to treat yeast infection.
There are many products available that can help you get rid of your problems once and for all.
However, dont worry that most of them are so ineffective because you have many options.
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Do I Need To See A Doctor
Yes. Painful urination can be a symptom of a more serious problem. You should tell your doctor about your symptoms and how long youve had them. Tell your doctor about any medical conditions you have, such as diabetes mellitus or AIDS, because these could affect your bodys response to infection. Tell your doctor about any known abnormality in your urinary tract, and if you are or might be pregnant. Tell your doctor if youve had any procedures or surgeries on your urinary tract. He or she also need to know if you were recently hospitalized or stayed in a nursing home.
If your doctor thinks your pain may be from vaginal inflammation, he or she may wipe the lining of your vagina with a swab to collect mucus. The mucus will be looked at under a microscope to see if it has yeast or other organisms. If your pain is from an infection in your urethra , your doctor may swab it to test for bacteria. If an infection cant be found, your doctor may suggest other tests.
About Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are common infections that can affect the bladder, the kidneys and the tubes connected to them.
Anyone can get them, but they’re particularly common in women. Some women experience them regularly .
UTIs can be painful and uncomfortable, but usually pass within a few days and can be easily treated with antibiotics.
This page is about UTIs in adults. There is a separate article about UTIs in children.
This page covers:
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Treatments For Cystitis In Complementary Medicine
Cranberry juice is reputed to act on cystitis. It is true, but it has demonstrated an effect only in prevention for recurrent cystitis. Not to treat installed cystitis.
Echinacea is a plant that can also help prevent cystitis.
Applying a warm clay poultice to the lower abdomen can help soothe the pain.
Can Men Get Utis From Women
Men can get UTIs from women during sex, by getting the bacteria from a woman with the infection. However, this is unlikely.
Typically, the infection arises from bacteria that are already present in the mans body.
A doctor can diagnose a UTI by carrying out a physical examination, taking a medical history, and through laboratory tests.
Physical examination
The doctor may perform a physical examination that includes:
- checking the vital signs
- checking the abdomen, bladder area, sides, and back for pain or swelling
- examining the genitals
Medical history
The doctor may ask if the person has had other UTIs in the past, or a family history of UTIs.
They may also question the person about their symptoms.
Laboratory tests
Laboratory tests are required to diagnose the infection as the symptoms of a UTI can be common to other diseases.
A urine sample is usually needed to look for the presence of pus and the bacteria causing the infection.
Men may be asked to give a urine sample. A man will need to start the urine stream to clean the urethra, and then collect a midstream sample in a cup. As bacteria multiply quickly at room temperature, this urine sample is either sent to the laboratory immediately or kept refrigerated until later.
The doctor may also ask for a urine test strip, also known as a urine dipstick test. This is a quick test in which a plastic or paper ribbon is dipped into the urine sample and then removed. If the person has a UTI, the ribbon will turn a particular color.
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Eating Diet & Nutrition
Experts dont think eating, diet, and nutrition play a role in preventing or treating bladder infections. If you have any type of UTI, talk with a health care professional about how much to drink each day to help prevent or relieve your infection.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and other components of the National Institutes of Health conduct and support research into many diseases and conditions.
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How Are Urinary Tract Infections Diagnosed
Your doctor will use the following tests to diagnose a urinary tract infection:
- Urinalysis: This test will examine the urine for red blood cells, white blood cells and bacteria. The number of white and red blood cells found in your urine can actually indicate an infection.
- Urine culture: A urine culture is used to determine the type of bacteria in your urine. This is an important test because it helps determine the appropriate treatment.
If your infection does not respond to treatment or if you keep getting infections over and over again, your doctor may use the following tests to examine your urinary tract for disease or injury:
- Ultrasound: In this test, sound waves create an image of the internal organs. This test is done on top of your skin, is painless and doesnt typically need any preparation.
- Cystoscopy: This test uses a special instrument fitted with a lens and a light source to see inside the bladder from the urethra.
- CT scan: Another imaging test, a CT scan is a type of X-ray that takes cross sections of the body . This test is much more precise than typical X-rays.
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What Is The Urinary Tract
The urinary tract makes and stores urine, one of the body’s liquid waste products. The urinary tract includes the following parts:
- Kidneys: These small organs are located on back of your body, just above the hips. They are the filters of your body removing waste and water from your blood. This waste becomes urine.
- Ureters: The ureters are thin tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to your bladder.
- Bladder: A sac-like container, the bladder stores your urine before it leaves the body.
- Urethra: This tube carries the urine from your bladder to the outside of the body.
How To Treat Urinary Tract Infection In Males
Although urinary tract infections are more common in women, urinary tract infections can also occur in men. Therefore, it is important to know the causes and how to treat urinary tract infection in males, so that the discomfort caused by this disease does not interfere with your activities.
Urinary tract infections can occur when germs grow and develop in the urinary tract. Symptoms of urinary tract infections in men are characterized by frequent urination, feeling pain when urinating, feeling pain in the lower abdomen, cloudy urine, urine containing blood, and experiencing fever. Urinary tract infections can sometimes also cause male genitalia to swell.
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Check If It’s A Urinary Tract Infection
Symptoms of a UTI may include:
- pain or a burning sensation when peeing
- needing to pee more often than usual during the night
- pee that looks cloudy
- needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- needing to pee more often than usual
- lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- a very low temperature below 36C
Top 10 Home Remedies For Urinary Tract Infections In Males
Urinary tract infections are a very common problem among males. Antibiotics are the most common treatment to get rid of UTIs. But there are other ways, in the form of home remedies that help in curing bacterial infections .
Urinary tract infections can be more troublesome if they tend to recur. These bacterial infections tend to show discomforting symptoms in a person.
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Can Urinary Tract Infection Cause Sneaky Urine
11 Sneaky Causes of Urinary Tract Infections. Getting a urinary tract infection is the worst. OK, thats a little dramatic. But with symptoms that include a burning sensation when you go to the bathroom, feeling like you have to go all the time but cant, and foul-smelling or dark urine, UTIs can be torturous.
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Questions To Ask Your Doctor
- Do I need any tests, such as urinalysis?
- What is the likely cause of my urinary tract infection ?
- Do I need medicine? How should I take it?
- What are the possible side effects of the medicine?
- When should I expect relief from my symptoms?
- What symptoms would indicate that my infection is getting worse? What should I do if I experience these symptoms?
- I get UTIs a lot. What can I do to prevent them?
- Do I need preventive antibiotics? If so, should I be concerned about antibiotic resistance?
- My child gets UTIs a lot. Could an anatomical problem be causing his or her UTIs?
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Ciprofloxacin May Cause Side Effects Tell Your Doctor If Any Of These Symptoms Are Severe Or Do Not Go Away:
- nausea
- ongoing or worsening cough
- yellowing of the skin or eyes pale skin dark urine or light colored stool
- extreme thirst or hunger pale skin feeling shaky or trembling fast or fluttering heartbeat sweating frequent urination trembling blurred vision or unusual anxiety
- fainting or loss of consciousness
- sudden pain in the chest, stomach, or back
Ciprofloxacin may cause problems with bones, joints, and tissues around joints in children. Ciprofloxacin should not normally be given to children younger than 18 years of age unless they have certain serious infections that cannot be treated with other antibiotics or they have been exposed to plague or anthrax in the air. If your doctor prescribes ciprofloxacin for your child, be sure to tell the doctor if your child has or has ever had joint-related problems. Call your doctor if your child develops joint problems such as pain or swelling while taking ciprofloxacin or after treatment with ciprofloxacin.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking ciprofloxacin or giving ciprofloxacin to your child.
Ciprofloxacin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administrations MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .
How Do I Know If The Treatment Isnt Working
If the treatment isnt working, your symptoms will stay the same, get worse, or you will develop new symptoms. Call your doctor if you have a fever , chills, lower stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. You should also call your doctor if, after taking medicine for 3 days, you still have a burning feeling when you urinate. If you are pregnant, you should also call your doctor if you have any contractions.
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How Are Utis In Men Diagnosed
The diagnosis of male UTIs is similar to it is for women. Preliminary diagnosis requires a laboratory examination using the persons urine culture. But because doctors consider urinary tract infection in men as a complicated condition, additional testing is necessary.
After confirming the diagnosis, your doctor may proceed with a special evaluation to study the cause of your UTI. It also involves several tests to determine the amount of urine you can excrete after a single cycle. You will also need to undergo imaging scans to identify signs of bladder infection or other abnormalities in your kidney.
How Utis In Men Are Diagnosed
A urinary tract infection occurs when bacteria enters the urinary tract. In fact, according to the National Kidney Foundation, one particular bacteria, E. coli, causes 80 to 90 percent of all UTI cases.
Diagnosing a urinary tract infection in men is initially the same as it is for women, consisting of a urine culture. But because a UTI in a man is often considered complicated, according to Dr. Trost, additional testing is usually necessary to determine why he got a UTI.
This typically includes not only a urinary culture to confirm an infection, but also a special study to evaluate how much urine he leaves behind after urinating, and an imaging study, such as a CT scan, to evaluate for kidney stones or other anatomic abnormalities that may be causing this, he explains.
If a man has recurrent infections or infections with the same organism, or UTI-like symptoms without a positive urine culture, then further testing may be necessary.
Any man who suspects he may have a UTI should see his doctor right away so that he can begin treatment as soon as possible.
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What Is The Outlook
The vast majority of men improve within a few days of starting treatment. See a doctor if you do not quickly improve. If your symptoms do not improve despite taking an antibiotic medicine then you may need an alternative antibiotic. This is because some germs are resistant to some types of antibiotics. This can be identified from tests done on your urine sample.
Occasionally the infection may spread and cause you to be more unwell. Infection in the bladder may spread to the kidney . Infection may also spread to involve the prostate gland, causing infection of the prostate gland . Occasionally it may lead to a swelling caused by a collection of pus in the prostate gland.
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