Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Overview

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Simple UTIs are a common condition that a primary care doctor can easily treat. Usually they are caused by bacteria that inhabit the colon and pelvic areas. However, when they become increasingly more frequent or difficult to treat, your primary care doctor will usually ask for a consultation with a urologist.
Common symptoms include the sudden onset of increased urinary frequency, urgency, and burning. The urine may become cloudy or even bloody. As the infection progresses, patients may experience fevers, back pain, pelvic pain, and weakness. If left untreated, the infection can even spread to the bloodstream and create a critical illness called sepsis.
The urologist will evaluate the entire urinary tract: kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. In men, it is important to evaluate the prostate as well. This evaluation may include imaging with x-rays, Cat Scans, and ultrasound. The bladder may be directly inspected with the use of a cystoscope placed directly through the urethra and into the bladder.
 It is important to identify the cause of these difficult UTIs. Findings that can lead to complicated infections include kidney stones, obstructed kidneys, poorly emptying bladders, infected prostates, prolapse of the vagina, and other anatomic abnormalities.
Most infections respond to a 3 or 7 day course of antibiotics, but some difficult bacteria may even need longer treatment times and even intravenous therapy. Sometimes, a surgical solution may be necessary.
Prevention includes drinking plenty of water, urinating frequently, ingesting cranberry, maintaining good hygiene, wearing cotton underwear and loose fitting garments to keep the genitals drier, and urinating after sex. Cranberry helps prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder, but do not use cranberry juice cocktail as it is mostly a sugar drink. 8 ounces of pure cranberry juice twice daily is recommended, but many people prefer cranberry extract capsules due to the taste or calories associated with pure cranberry juice. Our physicians recommend TheraCran, which is a very high quality, American made product available from Theralogix.com.
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