Urinary tract infection is one of the most common infectious diseases in all ages with various clinical symptoms and episodes. Bladder infections rarely cause complications if treated early. However, if left unchecked, bladder infections can develop into more serious conditions causing kidney infections, bloody urine , and with significant mortality.
In general, urinary tract infections are more common in women than men with a 2:1 ratio at all ages. This is because the size of the urethra (urine channel from the bladder to the outside of the body) in women is shorter, and the distance between the urethra is closer to the anus. Although the urinary tract is normally free of bacterial growth, when virulence increases and resistance decreases, the presence of bacterial growth and colonization results in infection of the urinary tract.
What causes women to experience Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
In women, urinary tract infections will be more susceptible to suffering from the following conditions.
- sexually active
- Have diabetes
- Patients with decreased immune system (immunocompromised)
- Have entered menopause
- Using contraception such as a diaphragm device or spermicide
- Being pregnant so there are hormonal changes
- Spine injury
- Old catheter use
Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in women
Some of the symptoms of UTI in women that can be experienced include:
- Pain when urinating
- Increased frequency of urination
- Difficulty holding urine (craving)
- Urinate little by little and the feeling is not complete
- Low back pain
- Urine contains blood
- Nausea and vomiting
- Urine is cloudy and has a sharper odor
- Fever, occurs more when the infection has reached the kidneys
How to prevent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in women
There are various preventive measures that can be taken to prevent UTIs in women, namely: drinking lots of water, keeping the vagina clean, not holding urine frequently, giving prophylactic antibiotics, drinking cranberry juice or supplements, using probiotics, changing contraception as appropriate, and therapy estrogen.
How to treat Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in women
Urinary tract infections in women should be treated as soon as possible. Because if not, the infection will develop into a chronic and cause complications. Therefore, immediately consult a urologist for a diagnosis and get treatment.
Generally, doctors will give several types of urinary tract infection drugs, namely antibiotics, estrogen, depressive therapy, and pain relievers.
That's important information about Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in women . If you have experienced some of the above symptoms, immediately go to a urologist to get the right treatment.
Article written by dr. Dwiki Haryo Indrawan, Sp.U (Urological Surgery Specialist at EMC Pekayon Hospital).