Urinary tract infection, or UTI, is colonization of microorganisms in the urinary tract in such an amount and such a way that damages or symptoms are produced. When only the urethra and the bladder is affected, it is called lower urinary tract infection. When the ureters and the kidneys are affected, the name used is "upper urinary tract infection".
Causes: UTI is commonly caused by bacteria that also are present in the normal flora in and around body openings and in the digestive tract, as for example the bacterium Escherichia Coli. Most often the bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethral opening. Women more easily get urinary tract infection because they have a shorter urethra so that the bacteria have a shorter way to get into the bladder.
The diseases Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis are normally not called UTI, even though these infections often affect the urinary tract.
Defects in the urinary system can make a person susceptible for UTI, like structures or valve-like structures in the urethra and defects causing reflux from the bladder up through the ureters. Physical damages in the urinary tract can also make it more easy for bacteria to colonize and make infections.
Use of catheters or other instruments in the urinary tract can introduce bacteria and also cause damages that give the bacteria an easy opportunity to infect.
Treatment:
Antibiotics are the usual treatment for bladder infections and other urinary tract infections.
Seven to ten days of antibiotics is usually required although some infections may require only a single dose of antibiotics.
It's important that all antibiotics are taken as prescribed. Antibiotics should not be discontinued before the full course of antibiotic treatment is complete. Symptoms may disappear soon after beginning antibiotic treatment. However, if antibiotics are quit early the infection may still be present and recur.
Another urine test may be ordered about a week after completing treatment to be sure the infection is cured.
