Urinary tract infection. Symptoms, causes, treatment

What is a urinary tract infection?

Symptoms of the disease cause harmful bacteria that enter the urinary tract, urethra, bladder or prostate. As a consequence, prostatitis, urethritis, cystitis, pyelonephritis can develop. Most often, the disease occurs in older people. In childhood, girls are more likely to have an infection than boys of the same age. Among girls, the peak period is 2-3 years, in boys - from birth to six months.

Causes of the disease

The source of infection is intestinal bacteria, which for some reason have fallen into the human genitourinary system. Gastrointestinal bacteria enter the urethra, and through it to other internal organs, begin to multiply and reach the bladder. If there is inflammation of the bladder, then we can talk about cystitis.

Women are more prone to the disease, since there is too little distance between the urethra and the anus, which greatly facilitates the penetration of bacteria, rather than in men. That is why infection of the urinary tract in children is most common, as if the girl is not properly washed, there is a rather high risk of getting bacteria to the urethra.

Urinary tract infection. Symptoms:

- very frequent urge to urinate, even if the amount of urine is only a couple of drops;

- burning pain when urinating in the bladder;

- the emergence of painful symptoms during sexual intercourse, which can also be caused by a disease such as a urinary tract infection;

- Symptoms of infection include turbid urine with a pungent odor, sometimes with the presence of blood;

- painful sensations around the pelvic region;

- stomach ache;

General malaise and weakness;

- with infection of the upper urinary tract can be observed fever, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.

Diagnosis of the disease "Urinary tract infection"

Symptoms that are typical for an infection may also indicate a different type of disease, so it is worthwhile to apply initially to a therapist who will already refer to a highly specialized specialist. Usually it is a urologist or nephrologist. For the most accurate diagnosis, the patient is given the delivery of urine tests. When infected, the number of bacteria is much higher than normal, sometimes there is an increase in the number of white blood cells, which can speak of a beginning inflammatory process.

But at some stages of the disease, urinalysis on bacteria does not show any results confirming the infection, therefore, in parallel to the general analysis, a bacteriological culture of urine is prescribed .

Treatment of urinary tract infection

Based on the results of the tests and after the patient is questioned, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment for this stage. Usually, hospital stay is not required - and the treatment is done on an outpatient basis. But if there is an infection of the upper genitourinary tract, taking place in severe form or against a background of reduced immunity, the patient is sent for hospitalization.

The main task of treatment is to achieve complete evacuation of the bladder and normalize the outflow of urine. Antibiotics are prescribed for this purpose. The course with an easier course of the disease lasts up to seven days. In parallel, painful sensations are prescribed painkillers, for example, ibuprofen.

If it is a question of the upper genitourinary tract, then the course of treatment, depending on the complexity of the course of the disease lasts up to two weeks.

Particular attention is paid to the treatment of pregnant women, since with untreated genitourinary infection , intrauterine infection of the child can occur, which can lead to negative consequences.