What are the causes of UTI?
Find out more about Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are a serious health problem affecting millions of people each year. Urine is usually free of bacteria, viruses, and fungi but does contain fluids, salts, and waste products. A urinary tract infection occurs when tiny organisms cling to the opening of the urethra and begin to multiply. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body and the disease is commonly caused by the E. Coli bacteria that usually lives in the colon.
First, the bacteria travel to the urethra. An infection can occur as bacteria multiply. An infection limited to the urethra is called urethritis, and 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.
Chlamydia and Mycoplasma may also cause UTIs in both men and women, but these infections tend to remain limited to the urethra and reproductive system. These are sexually transmitted infections and must be treated.
The urinary system is structured in a way that helps ward off infection and ureters and bladder normally prevent urine from backing up toward the kidneys. In men, the prostate gland produces secretions that slow bacterial growth. In both sexes, immune defenses also prevent infection. However, infections still occur despite these safeguards.
What are the symptoms of UTI?
Although not everyone with UTI experiences symptoms, most people get at least some symptoms. Signs of UTI include a frequent urge to urinate and a painful, burning feeling in the area of the bladder or urethra during urination. The patient might experience an overall bad feeling as well as feeling pain in the urethra. Women sometimes feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone, and some men experience fullness in the rectum. Patients might find that despite the urge to urinate only a small amount of urine is passed. The urine itself may look milky or cloudy, even reddish if blood is present. If the infection has reached the kidneys, fever and vomiting might occur.
In children, symptoms of a urinary infection may be overlooked or attributed to another disorder. If a child experience incontinence and/or fever, the child should be examined for a UTI.
How is UTI treated?
UTIs are treated with antibacterial drugs. Often, a UTI can be cured with 1 or 2 days of treatment, but many doctors ask their patients to take antibiotics for a week or two to make sure that the infection has been cured. Single-dose treatment is not recommended for some groups of patients, for example, those who have delayed treatment or have signs of a kidney infection, patients with diabetes or structural abnormalities, or men who have prostate infections.