The Only Guide to Urinary Tract Infections
Suffering from a urinary tract infection can be quite a stressful affair. It is easy to think based on the symptoms it displays that a urinary tract infection is a scary and cumbersome infection.
However, this is not the case, with the proper diagnosis and treatment, urinary tract infections can be dealt with promptly at our Alamo City Urgent care Emergency Office.
The key to preventing unnecessary panic in the event of a urinary tract infection is to understand what this infection is about and what to do when you notice that you may be suffering from it.
What Is a Urinary Tract Infection?
These are bacterial infections that occur within your urinary system. It is important to note that these infections are a common occurrence and can be remedied.
Your urinary system consists of your bladder, kidneys, ureter, and urethra. A urinary tract infection can occur in your bladder, where it will be referred to as cystitis, or in the kidneys, which results in a severe infection known as pyelonephritis.
What Factors Favor the Occurrence of Urinary Tract Infections?
Some factors may make you more predisposed to urinary tract infections. These may include
- Being overweight
- Going through menopause
- If you have had reoccurring urinary tract infections
- If your urine passage is blocked by any obstacle such as a kidney stone or tumor
- If you have a current health condition that impedes the proper functioning of your bladder such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or even Parkinson’s disease
- If you use a spermicide or diaphragm as a birth control method
- Urinary tract infections are more prevalent in uncircumcised men
- A weakened immune system as a result of for example HIV or even chemotherapy may hinder your ability to fight off germs and leave you susceptible to urinary tract infections
- Having a urinary catheter could also result in urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections are more prevalent in women than in men due to morphological differences. Women tend to have a shorter urethra than men. This means that their urethral opening is even closer to the anus than it is in men.
This makes it easy for bacteria found in feces to get into the urethra resulting in urinary tract infections.
What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?
Urinary tract infections occur when the bacteria that are present in your gut gets into your urinary tract system. This bacteria may vary from E.coli, which typically is present in your stomach. To other forms of bacteria such as enterococcus, pseudomonas, and staphylococcus.
Some bladder infections, however, can be attributed to sexually transmitted diseases.
Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms
The symptoms may include
- A burning sensation when you pee
- A persistent urge to pee often
- Lower belly pain
- Urine that is cloudy in appearance has an awful smell or has blood in it
- Pain behind the scrotum in men
- Pain during ejaculation
You should seek urgent care near you if you experience one or more of the above symptoms accompanied by a fever, nausea, and chills, which are an indication of a severe kidney infection.
However, all urinary tract infections should be promptly addressed at our Alamo city urgent care Emergency office, to prevent them from escalating into more serious kidney infections.
Also, if you are pregnant and you suspect that you have a urinary tract infection, you should see our doctor immediately in our Emergency office. This is because a kidney infection in your case could lead to premature birth.
Diagnosis and Treatment
After describing your symptoms to our doctor, you will be subjected to a urine test. A urinalysis of your sample will allow the doctor to single out the type of infection you have and the bacteria responsible.
This will equip your doctor with the information needed to prescribe the correct antibiotics to remedy the infection.
In the case that you have a reoccurring urinary tract infection, you will be referred to our urologist for more tests such as blood tests, CT scans of the urinary tract, and cystoscopy.
All these tests are fundamental in concluding what could be causing your recurrent infections and what can be used to clear it completely.
Urinary tract infections are treated using antibiotics. It is vital to complete your allocated prescription to prevent your minor UTI from becoming a severe kidney infection or causing sepsis.
The results from your urinalysis will determine the antibiotic to be prescribed, the duration of your treatment, and the dosage. A complicated infection will be treated using an intravenous higher dosage of antibiotics.
At Alamo City Urgent Care, we are equipped to deal with your urinary tract infections making sure it is dealt with for good.