Urinary Tract Infection In Men
Urinary tract infection does not commonly afflict males. It is more commonly found in females.
In hospitalized patients, urinary catheter placement accounts for more than 70 % of the urinary tract infections in males.
Catheterized urinary tract becomes more prone to catch bacterial infections and it may even rise up, to affect the bladder.
First Are Antibiotics Necessary
Taking antibiotics should not be treated lightly, especially given the increased risk of developing multi-drug resistant bacteria like ESBL E.coli, for which we are running out of treatments.
- While burning when you pee and the urge to urinate, are common UTI symptoms, they are not always indicative of a urinary tract infection.
- Antibiotics alone are not as effective against mature bacterial biofilms.
- An incomplete course or prophylactic antibiotics can actually promote the growth of bacterial biofilms.
- Antioxidants, available in N-acetylcysteine supplements can increase the effectiveness of antibiotics and help you fight mature bacterial biofilms.
- Natural supplements like D-Mannose can be effective at the first sign of a UTI and dont come with the extensive side effect profile of many antibiotics
Therefore, you and your physician should ensure that necessary testing is done before prescribing antibiotics. This includes analyzing accurate local antibiotic resistance data to make sure you get the best empirical antibiotics until more data is available.
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.
You May Like: Urinary Tract Infection In Older Women
Risk Factors Of Urinary Tract Infections
- More common in women.
- Urinary tract abnormalities Babies born with urinary tract abnormalities. These abnormalities back up the urine in the urethra and cause infections.
- Blockages in the urinary tract Kidney stones and enlarged prostrate trap urine in the bladder and cause infections.
- Suppressed immune system- Diseases that impair the immune system like diabetes can increase urinary infections.
- Catheter use- People who use a catheter to urinate have an increased risk of urinary tract infection.
You May Like: Urinary Incontinence In Young Women
Antiseptic Drug As Good As Antibiotics For Preventing Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
And may also help tackle antibiotic resistance, say researchers
The antiseptic drug methenamine hippurate is as good as antibiotics for preventing recurrent urinary tract infections in women, finds a trial published by The BMJ today.
Its use as an alternative to antibiotics may also help tackle the global burden of antibiotic resistance, say the researchers.
Over half of women have at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime, and recurrence occurs in about a quarter of women who have one episode.
Current guidelines recommend daily low dose antibiotics as the standard preventive treatment for recurrent UTI. But such long term use of antibiotics has been linked to antibiotic resistance, so research into non-antibiotic alternatives is urgently needed.
Methenamine hippurate is a drug that sterilises urine, stopping the growth of certain bacteria. Previous studies have shown that it could be effective in preventing UTIs, but the evidence is inconclusive and further randomised trials are needed.
So a team of UK researchers, led by clinicians and scientists from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, set out to test if methenamine hippurate is an effective alternative to standard antibiotic treatment for preventing recurrent UTI in women.
Their findings are based on 240 women with recurrent urinary tract infections requiring prophylactic treatment. On average before trial entry these women experienced over six UTI episodes per year.
Read Also: Will Cefdinir Treat Sinus Infection
You May Like: What Causes Urinary Tract Infections In The Elderly
Lifestyle Changes To Improve Uti
Besides these herbal medicines, Ayurvedic treatment for Urinary Tract Infections include lifestyle modifications. Dr. Pooja suggests some lifestyle changes to improve UTI:
Reduce hot spicy oily food, drink plenty of water, eat seasonal fruits, use pink Himalayan salt, use barley water to drink, limit exposure to heat and dont hold urination urge.
Yogasanas like Gomukhasan, Pawanmuktasan, Viparitkarni mudra, Moolbandh and pranayama can be helpful in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and improve UTI.
According to Dr. Pooja, coriander and cumin seeds water and black raisin water can also be used to reduce UTI symptoms.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Uti
Symptoms of a UTI can differ depending on what part of the urinary tract is infected.
A bladder infection usually causes symptoms that include the following:
- Burning when urinating
- The feeling that you need to pee frequently, but when you go to the toilet very little urine comes out
- Pain in the pelvic area just above the pubic bone.
Bladder infections are usually considered a simple UTI and treatment is usually with antibiotics for three to five days. Symptoms usually resolve in a couple of days.
People with an infection of the urethra may experience symptoms similar to a bladder infection in addition to itching or irritation at the end of the urethra where the pee comes out.
Symptoms of a kidney infection are usually more widespread and more severe than those of a bladder infection and may include:
- Fever or chills
- Pink or red-tinged urine
- Burning when urinating
- The feeling that you need to pee frequently, but when you go to the toilet very little urine comes out
- Pain in the pelvic area just above the pubic bone
- Moderate to severe lower back pain
- Nausea or vomiting.
You May Like: Menopause Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms
Why Antibiotics Are The Golden Standard
Urinary tract infections occur due to an external bacterial infection in the urinary tract of a body. The most common treatment option is a course of antibiotic therapy that targets the pathogens and the bacteria causing the infection.
The appropriate antibiotic course leads to higher symptomatic and bacteriological cure rates and significantly reduces the chances of reinfection. The types of antibiotics prescribed as the first line of treatment are based upon the type of bacteria found in your urine after the urine analysis, your health status, and the severity of the infection.
Looking For More Natural Remedies
As you may know, Im extremely passionate about providing women with all the details they need to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Im not in any way against pharmaceuticals when they are necessary and indicated for a particular treatment. Antibiotics have a time and a place in our health. But when other options are safe and effective, I like to offer women choices that include natural options they can administer themselves.
If youre into that sort of balance too, Id love to send you an email when I post new articles. Hop on my mailing list HERE so I can share my research with you!
Dont Miss: Are Grapes Good For Urinary Tract Infection
Also Check: Causes Of Urinary Incontinence In Females
Practice Good Personal Hygiene To Prevent Uti
Prevention is always better than cure. Maintaining proper personal hygiene is crucial in preventing UTIs.
If you are a woman, always wipe from front to back, especially after defecating.29 This reduces the chances of bacteria from your bowels entering your urethra. You should help children inculcate this habit from a very young age.
Change your sanitary napkins regularly, avoid taking long bubble baths, and do not use perfumed products near your urethra.30 Keeping it clean and dry down there prevent an infection.
Both men and women should wear breathable underwear and should shower regularly to prevent the build up of bacteria near the urethra.31
You May Like: Urinary Tract Infection Puppy Treatment
Are There Any Over
Over-the-counter antibiotics for a UTI are not available. You should see your doctor to have your symptoms evaluated.
Your provider may recommend an OTC product called Uristat to numb your bladder and urethra to ease the burning pain during urination. Uristat can be bought without a prescription at the pharmacy. A similar phenazopyridine product called Pyridium is also available.
Take phenazopyridine for only 48 hours, and be aware it may cause your urine to turn a brown, orange or red color which may stain fabrics or contact lenses. It may be best to not wear contact lenses while being treated with phenazopyridine.
Phenazopyridine is not an antibiotic and will not cure a UTI.
See also: Ratings of Urinary Anti-Infectives
Read Also: Urinary Incontinence Medication Over The Counter
What Is The Long
Urinary tract infections are uncomfortable and painful. Most chronic UTIs will resolve with a prolonged course of antibiotics, but monitoring for further symptoms is important since the chronic UTIs usually recur. People with UTIs should monitor their bodies and seek immediate treatment with the onset of a new infection. Early treatment of infection decreases your risk for more serious, long-term complications.
If youre susceptible to recurring UTIs, make sure to:
- urinate as often as needed
- wipe front to back after urinating
Holistic Treatment For Uti: How Viral Co
Emboldened by this progress, I began working with a new Lyme-literate practitioner to keep peeling this very stinky onion back. I invested tens of thousands of dollars I didnt have into the most cutting-edge labs functional medicine had to offer.
Further tests revealed a parasite called cryptosporidium and activated Epstein-Barr, infectious stowaways that were corrosive to my immune system. And despite returning a negative Western blot test for Lyme, an advanced tick-borne test called Igenix found a Babesia co-infection.
I was carrying a herd of bad buggies, but my lifestyle had created a perfect host environment for them to host their own bodily Burning Man festival. It was as much the germ as the soil, and I had to get both into balance or I would fail to thrive.
A friend once asked, How could one person have so many illnesses? But of course, it made perfect sense. These buggers were cozy and collaborative bedfellows, confounding and compromising my immune system in tandem. Getting my system back into balance was key to making the treatment work.
A major milestone I hit during this time was being antibiotic-free for three years. I performed extensive gut healing protocols, overhauled my sleep, ditched alcohol, and biohacked every angle of my lifestyle to be more biologically aligned. It dawned on me that a holistic treatment for UTI was about so much more than my bladder.
Don’t Miss: What Causes Urinary Frequency In Females
Etiology/ Causes Factors Of Utis
UTI is known as Mutrakricchra in Ayurveda and has several etiologies or root causes attributed to it. Various unhealthy food and activities cause aggravation of vata , pitta, and kapha in the body. The vitiated state of tridosha along with mandagni produces ama. Which when mixed with dosha becomes sama . This affects the mutra vaha srotas and gives rise to mutrakrichhya.
- Chronic indigestion
- Intake of food or medicines that are excessively pungent and harshly drying in nature
- Habitual intake of alcohol.
- Excessive intake of meat and fish
- Irregular and yet frequent intake of food before the previous meal is digested
- Regularly riding on the back of fast-moving animals/vehicles
Can A Uti Go Away On Its Own
While most patients with a UTI will be prescribed antibiotics, the truth is, uncomplicated urinary tract infections are often self-limiting, meaning they can potentially run their course sans antibiotic treatment, noted a 2018 report in PLoS Medicine.
In fact, that same report found that more than one-half of the women studied experienced a UTI resolution without the use antibiotics. However, since kidney infections occurred in 7 out of 181 women using ibuprofen, the researchers concluded that, at this time, they cannot recommend ibuprofen alone as initial treatment to women with uncomplicated UTIs.
A better idea, for now: Simply wait until a positive urine culture comes back before treating with antibiotics.
Don’t Miss: How To Make A Urinary Tract Infection Go Away
How Do You Treat Utis
Urinary tract infections are usually treated with antibiotics prescribed by a healthcare provider. The length of antibiotic treatment depends on the severity of the infection, whether you have had a UTI before, and if your symptoms go away quickly. If you are prescribed antibiotics for a UTI, it is important to take them as instructed by your healthcare provider.
There are additional medications and treatments available over-the-counter that may help ease symptoms and pain or prevent additional UTIs such as urinary pain relief tablets, cranberry pills, and heating pads.
Antibiotics For Uti Caused By Esbl E Coli
Unfortunately, more and more patients are diagnosed with a UTI caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase -producing E. coli. These are E. coli that have evolved to find ways to evade the antibiotics that normally would kill them. In this case, your UTI will most likely be resistant to many of first-line antibiotics listed above and you have a higher risk of developing a kidney infection. At risk group includes:
- Patients with recurrent UTIs
- Patients with recent exposure to antibiotics.
Antibiotics classified as carbapenems are often the drug of choice when treating UTIs caused by ESBL-producing bacteria. Antimicrobials, such as nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, amikacin, and cefepime, may also be an option.
There are also new beta-lactam/ beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations that came to the market in the United States in the past few years, that are effective against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa .
- Ceftazidime-avibactam , active against a variety of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, but not Gram-positive organisms.
- Ceftolozane-tazobactam , active against a number of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
- Meropenem-vaborbactam , for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
Also Check: Pineapple Juice For Urinary Tract Infection
Antibiotics For Uti: Whatre Your Options
Urinary tract infections begin when microbes enter the urinary system, overcome the bodys natural defense mechanisms, and multiply.
For many patients, these infections can be uncomfortable.
Although fungi or viruses can cause some UTIs, bacterial microbes are the primary cause behind most infections.
The best way to treat a bacterial UTI is to kill the germs causing the condition with antibiotics. Patients who take antibiotics for UTIs often report experiencing relief within just a few days.
Lets take a closer look at the different antibiotic options for UTI treatment.
Using Condoms During Sex
Latex condoms that are not lubricated can increase friction and can irritate the woman’s skin. This can then increase the chances of a UTI.
With that said, condoms are extremely useful at reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. In order to help prevent skin irritation and friction from condoms, you should use a water-based lubricant during intercourse.
Also Check: D Mannose Urinary Tract Infection
Most Common Bacteria That Cause Utis
Based on a study by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, the bacteria most commonly associated with causing UTIs are:
- Escherichia coli
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Based on the symptoms the patient is experiencing and before any testing is done to officially determine the infection type, the doctor prescribes first line antibiotics. For most UTIs, the prescribed antibiotic will cure the infection and not require any further testing.
Ayurvedic Diet To Treat Uti Naturally
A diet involving Sweet, Bitter and Astringent tastes is highly beneficial to reduce inflammation and promote metabolism. These tastes help to pacify Pitta and Vata Dosha and also supply the required nutrients to remove the deficiencies.
Best Foods to Relieve UTI
- Include blood purifying and antioxidants rich foods in your daily diet. Some examples are: watercress, green leafy vegetables, black raisins, green tea, ginger and garlic.
- Prefer cooling and normal temperature beverages such as coconut water, still water, and herbal teas.
- Consume foods that promote your digestive fire and help you to reduce inflammation. Some examples are: apple, berries, mangoes, oranges, avocados, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, celery, garlic, onions, sprouts, barley, oats and wheat.
- Eat vegetables and foods that help to support detoxification. Some examples are: Apricots, green banana, cherry, coconut, kiwi, lemon, carrots, green beans, leeks, oats, quinoa and rice.
- Oils to prefer are Ghee, Olive Oil, and Coconut Oil. These will provide you with the right source of energy to keep your metabolism optimum.
- Drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated at all times.
- Regular intake of probiotic foods in your diet will help to maintain a proper bladder pH, prevent recurrent Urinary Tract Infections, support the healthy bacteria in the gut and boost your immunity.
You May Like: Good Antibiotic For Urinary Tract Infection
How To Use Amoxicillin Oral
Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually every 8 or 12 hours. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment.
Drink plenty of fluids while using this medication unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
For the best effect, take this antibiotic at evenly spaced times. To help you remember, take this medication at the same time every day.
Continue to take this medication until the full prescribed amount is finished, even if symptoms disappear after a few days. Stopping the medication too early may allow bacteria to continue to grow, which may result in a return of the infection.
Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens.