Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

• Symptoms:
  • Include burning, urge to urinate more often, frequent urination, and odd urine color and odor
• Importance of diagnosis:
  •  Can prevent a kidney infection which can cause fever, back pain and nausea/vomiting.
• Treatment:
  • Often with oral antibiotics
    
    
    

If you’re struggling with UTIs, otherwise known as urinary tract infections, you can take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. According to a study published by Medscape, an estimated 25 to 40 percent of American women aged 20 to 40 have had one or more UTIs in their lifetime. And the painful condition is not limited to women only as they can occur in men as well. However, they are far less common among men, but tend to be more complicated in male patients. Studies show that men who develop a UTI will experience many of the same symptoms as women, but they are more likely to have the infection spread from the lower to the upper urinary tract.

What Is a Urinary Tract Infection?

• Lower UTI symptoms include:
  Burning while urinating
• Urge to urinate urgently (like you won’t make it to the restroom)
• Frequent urination (often of small amounts)
• Odd urine color and odor  (this can include cloudy or blood tinged)

In addition, UTIs that affect the upper urinary tract or kidneys can also cause more systemic or (whole body symptoms) including the following:

• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Fever or chills
• Pain localizing to the lower back

Why Are Women More Likely to Develop UTIs Than Men?

There are quite a few things that make UTIs more common among women than men, most of which comes down to the female anatomy. For instance, most women develop urinary tract infections that involve the bladder. And since women naturally have a shorter urethra than men, it shortens the distance that bacteria must travel to reach the bladder and ultimately cause a UTI. Additionally, a woman’s vagina is close to her anus, where infection-causing bacteria gather. Studies show that a woman can quickly develop a UTI if Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, a bacterium normally found in the intestinal system, advances from her rectum to her vagina.

Why am I getting recurring UTIs?

Unfortunately, many women will suffer multiple UTIs in their lifetime. Studies show that 1 in 5 women will experience what is known as recurrent UTIs, a clinical term that refers to a urinary tract infection that occurs two or more times in six months or three times in one year. One particular study published by Harvard Health Publishing, the publishing arm of Harvard Medical School located in Boston, Massachusetts, noted that sexually active women are more likely to experience recurrent UTIs compared to those who are not. And the reason for this is twofold. The study found that frequent sexual intercourse increases bacteria in the bladder, particularly among women who use contraceptives that contain spermicides. Researchers concluded that the spermicide-containing contraceptives that women used to prevent pregnancy destroyed healthy bacteria in the vagina known as Lactobacilli and increased unhealthy bacteria in the bladder known as E. coli. And this was especially true among women who did not urinate immediately after having sex, the study further revealed.

Can I still get UTIs after Menopause?

Even after a woman enters menopause, her chances of experiencing recurring UTIs will continue. The reason for this is twofold; menopausal women generally have less Lactobacilli in their vagina. And a reduction in vaginal lactobacilli often results in higher than normal levels of E. coli in the bladder. This combination of events that take place during menopause can significantly increase a woman’s chances of developing a UTI-related infection. Also noteworthy, the bladder does not contract as effectively after a woman enters menopause, meaning that it never really fully empties after she urinates. The more urine that stays in a woman’s bladder, the higher her chances are of developing a UTI-related infection.

 How Can an Urgent care help and what can I expect?

In short, women can expect the same level of care at an urgent care that they would receive when being seen in a medical office. After going over the symptoms that a woman is experiencing and her medical history, most physicians will perform a physical exam before moving on to collecting a urine sample and sending it to a lab to be analyzed. Once at the lab, technicians will examine the urine under a microscope to determine if it contains bacteria or white blood cells, both of which are telltale signs or UTI-related infection. In some cases, a physician may also order a urine culture test, which is also examined by a lab technician and can determine if bacteria and yeast are in the urine sample, which is not uncommon among women with a UTI-related infection.

The Takeaway

Many women and men struggle with one or more UTIs every year. While your first thought might be to schedule an appointment with your PCP, you should know that the physicians at urgent care clinics are very skilled when it comes to resolving UTI-related infections, in order to get you “back on your feet” in potentially a much shorter time or if your usual medical office is not open.