Urinary Tract Infections (UTIS): Definition, Symptoms, Test and Treatment

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs):  

The Urinary Tract consists of Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder, and Urethra. The work of the urinary tract is to remove waste and excess water from the body. It can be divided into the upper urinary tract and lower urinary tract. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are caused by bacteria overcoming the body’s defenses in the urinary tract. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract the bladder and urethra.

Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs):

Different symptoms of UITS appeared in the affected patient, which are pointed out in the following:

1. Burning sensation during urination,
2. Strong and frequent urge to urination,
3. Cloudy or bloody urine,
4. Muscle aches and abdominal pain,
5. Unpleasant urine smell,
6. Pelvic pain ( women),
7. Rectal pain (men),
8. If the infections spread to kidneys,
9. A high temperature of 38*C or 101*F,
10. Uncontrolled shivering,
11. Nausea and vomiting,
12. Pain in back or groin,
13. Sometimes severe abdominal pain.

Test and Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI):

Various test and diagnosis of UTIS have mentioned the below:

1. Urinalysis,
2. Urine culture,
3. Urine routine examination,
4. CBC,
5. Blood culture.

If the person is suffering from recurrent UTIs, the following test helps to rule out the underlying problem as  Kidney Ultrasound, CT scan of abdomen or MRI, Cystoscopy, Intravenous Pyelogram ( IVP).

Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI):

UTI is normally treated with short-course antibiotics. The following treatments should be followed to cure these types of diseases.

1. Simple and uncomplicated UTI is treated with a three days course of antibiotics capsules or tablets.
2. Complicated and recurrent UTI may need a longer course of antibiotics and it can start intravenously (IV) in the hospital.
3. Over the counter painkillers such as Paracetamol can help to reduce pain.
4. Drinking plenty of fluid, especially around the time of UTI.
5. Drugs commonly recommended for simple UTIs are  Ceftriaxone (Rocephin), Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Fosfomycin (Monurol), Azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax), Nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Macrobid), Cephalexin (Keflex), and Levofloxacin (Levaquin).

Maria Mona

Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “maria.mona023@gmail.com”