What is Urinary Tract Infection?

Do you know what is UTI? It is urinary tract infection. At some point in your life, you may have either dealt with it or known someone going through it. UTIs are caused by bacteria that enter your urethra; commonly known as lower urinary tract infection or cystitis, bacteria entering your kidney are known as upper urinary tract infection. If left untreated, it is a severe condition that statistically affects 50 - 60% of adult women at least once in their lifetime.

Now that you know what is UTI, Urinary tract infection symptoms range from pain and burning while urinating, pressure in the lower abdomen, frequent urination, feeling the urge to pee (with minimal pee release or empty bladder), foul-smelling or bloody urine (in few cases). The main bacteria causing a UTI is Escherichia Coli, aka E.Coli - a microscopic living entity found everywhere; it is the face behind this mayhem! Read on to know about what is UTI, how you can avoid it and much more. 

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Symptoms

What is Lower urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Urinary tract infection symptoms depend on what part of your urinary tract is affected. If your urethra and bladder are infected, it is a lower urinary tract infection. 

Lower urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms:

• burning during urination
• increased frequency of urination with less urine
• increased urgency of urination 
• blood in the urine
• cloudy urine
• urine that looks like cola or tea
• strong odour in your urine
• pelvic pain (women)
• rectal pain (men)

What is Upper urinary tract infection (UTI)?

Urinary tract infection that leads to kidney infection is called upper urinary tract infection. These are potentially life-threatening in case the bacteria move from the infected kidney into the blood. This condition is called urosepsis and can cause dangerously low blood pressure, shock, and death.

Upper urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms

• pain and tenderness in the upper back 
• pain in the sides
• chills
• fever
• nausea
• vomiting

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Symptoms in Men

Women and men develop similar UTI symptoms. Additionally, men may feel rectum pain while suffering from lower UTI and the common UTI symptoms shared by both genders. Bladder or urine infection symptoms may be commonly seen in men. 

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Symptoms in Women

Women are at a higher risk of UTIs because of their vaginal structure. Those with a lower tract urinary infection may experience pelvic pain. Bladder or urine infection symptoms may cause irritation or uneasiness for women. 

Common Causes of Bladder Infection

• Sexual intercourse is one of the leading causes of UTI in young, sexually active women. Women are at an increased risk for urinary tract infection than men because of the urethra structure. 
• It is also termed "honeymoon cystitis" in young women suffering from recurrent urinary tract infection. 
• Diabetes, hormonal imbalances, wiping back to front after using the washroom, catheter are also other reasons women suffer from urinary tract infection and get recurrent urinary tract infections. Control your Diabetes with these food.

Risk Factors of Urinary Tract Infection

Anatomy

The distance between the anal opening and urethra is shorter in women than men, which gives a shorter length for the bacteria to travel up the bladder. This is one of the reasons for the development of Bladder or urine infection symptoms. 

Sexual activity

Changing sexual partners frequently, having a new sexual partner increases one's chances of contracting a UTI. Sexually active women are at a higher risk of UTIs than women who are not sexually active. They may even develop Bladder or urine infection symptoms. 

Certain kinds of birth control

Women using diaphragms and spermicides for birth control are more susceptible. Bladder or urine infection symptoms are also possible due to this. 

Menopause

Postmenopause, a decline in circulating estrogen, causes changes in the urinary tract, making women more vulnerable to infection. Bladder or urine infection symptoms are also quite common. In some cases, pregnant women also go through a UTI because of bladder pressure, incontinence. Your doctor might also check for structural abnormalities, kidney diseases and collect your past health information. Such are the risk of UTIs.

Urinary Tract Infection Diagnosis

The risk of UTIs are immense, therefore you need to diagnose it. For diagnosis, your urine sample is tested. If you have ever dealt with chronic or recurrent UTI, you will know the feeling. The symptoms are always almost similar and require medical intervention post-diagnosis. Your doctor will prescribe a urine culture test to know the bacteria and prescribe correct antibiotic urinary tract infection treatment in cases with a high white blood cell count outside of the normal range in your urine routine. Your doctor may also want to rule out kidney stones and other infectious diseases.

How to Overcome a Urinary Tract Infection?

Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics as it is the go-to treatment for UTI in case of a severe infection

Your doctor may also prescribe medication to decrease the pain and alkalizing agents 

Drink lots of water, coconut water especially, as they are incredibly hydrating and help flush out bacteria and maintain the vaginal PH levels too. Know about the Ayurvedic facts behind drinking water.

Cranberry supplements and extracts coupled with D-Mannose that help in prevention (these do not cure the infection but play a significant role in support to boost healing). Also read Ayurvedic facts behind drinking water.

Urinary Tract Infection Treatment

Urinary tract infection treatment depends on the cause. Your primary care physician will determine which organism is causing infection via urinalysis and culture.

In most cases, a UTI is caused by bacteria which are then treated with antibiotics. In a few cases, viruses or fungi cause UTI, and they are treated with antivirals. If a fungus causes the UTI you are suffering from; urinary tract infection treatment involves antifungals. 

In cases of a very mild UTI, your immune system, if healthy, mainly can fight it off with the proper guidance from your physician.

Antibiotic Treatment

An antibiotic urinary tract infection treatment depends on what part of the tract is involved; if it the lower tract UTI, it is usually treated with an oral antibiotic. If it is an upper tract UTI, they are treated with intravenous antibiotics. To reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance, your healthcare practitioner will most likely put you on the shortest urinary tract infection treatment possible. Because, at times, bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. Your doctor will typically set you on a urinary tract infection treatment that lasts a week. 

Results from your urine culture will help your physician determine the right course and dose of antibiotics that will work best against the bacteria causing your infection. 

How Does Cranberry Work in Preventing UTIs? 

It is a myth that drinking commercially available cranberry juice loaded with preservatives and sugar helps in reducing or preventing urinary tract infection - they do not. Berries like cranberry, strawberry and raspberry have very high phytoestrogens. 

Cranberry has the active ingredient proanthocyanidins, and most juices and supplements do not have enough of this active estrogen ingredient. This active ingredient prevents the bacteria from latching onto the urinary tract walls, multiplying, and causing a full-blown infection. 

One may explore the following ways to inculcate cranberry estrogen into one regime 

Talk to your doctor if you get frequent urinary tract infection, to prescribe a supplement that has pure cranberry estrogen extract with active PAC and D mannose to help support your urinary system from future infections 

These can be available in the forms of sachets as well that can be mixed with water and consumed 

Consumption of fresh cranberry estrogen if one has access to them - this has to be done daily as a lifestyle to gain maximum impact 

Other Ways of Preventing Urinary Tract Infections

Following are some time tested tips to help prevent future infections:

• Hydrate yourself with lots of water constantly, inculcate coconut water daily to maintain ph balance and overall immunity
• Maintain sexual hygiene and cleanse your and your partner's genitals before and after sex 
• Always empty your bladder whenever you feel the need to pee; never hold it in!
• Pee immediately after sex to flush out any accidental introduction of bacteria into your urethra 
• Make sure you wipe front to back and not the other way round
• Please stay away from anything not natural, be it juices or clothes, to help support your genital flora! Non-cotton underwears and tight-fitting jeans cause havoc on your genital area in tropical climates
• Eat healthily, stay healthy, and maintain your hormonal balance. Healthy habits lead to healthy and hearty life.
• Now that you know what is UTI and everything about it, it’s time to be cautious and treat it. 

Also read Healthy habits lead to healthy and hearty life.

Auric has curated women’s wellness juice for overall wellness of women. It contains the goodness of ayurvedic herbs, which help regular bodily cycles.

 Authored by: Padmaja Rai

About the Author: Padmaja is a healthcare consultant and avid fitness enthusiast. She holds a masters' in bio-innovation and rare diseases from University of Pennsylvania. She is a firm believer in ancient Indian holistic healing.