The cause of urinary tract infection can be many. And one of the most common one is holding your urine. Do you ever wonder how water and the other fluids we drink become urine?

The kidneys are organs in our body that perform many different jobs. One of its main jobs is to filter and remove water and waste materials from the blood. The collected wastes combine with water to form urine.

From the kidneys, urine goes down a tube called ureters to the bladder where it is stored. When the bladder is about half-filled, you will normally feel an urge to urinate. When you urinate, the urine from the bladder passes through another tube called urethra until is released out of the body.

This normal functioning of the urinary system can be disrupted by several illnesses and conditions. One of these conditions is urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infection happens when bacteria enter the urinary tract and multiply. The urinary system is designed such that bacteria and other microorganisms like viruses and fungi cannot exist.

It has its natural way of protecting itself from them. However, due certain conditions like the weakening of the immune system, infection may still happen.

As you already probably know, the bacteria that cause urinary tract infection are Escherichia coli or E. coli. These bacteria are not usually found in the urinary tract but rather in the digestive tract.

Holding urine for a long period of time could also lead to urinary tract infection. As mentioned above, you are supposed to feel the urge to urinate when your bladder is half full.

If you ignore this feeling always, you are actually initiating urinary tract infection because you allow bacteria to grow. Remember, urination is the natural way to flush bacteria away.

Holding urine also causes the sphincter muscle to tighten for a long period. This weakens its ability to properly relax during urination.

When this happens, the next time you urinate, you may not be able to release urine completely. Urine left in the urinary tract may contain bacteria that can multiply to cause infection.

UTI is more common in young boys than young girls. However, as they grow older, this pattern changes. The girls become more prone to having the infection.

Antibiotics are usually recommended to people to treat the infection. It is expected to work just within a few days. There are instances, though, that your doctor will ask you to extend taking the antibiotics for about a week or so.

Even if there are available medicines to treat UTI, there are people who prefer to use natural remedies. Increasing water and fluid intake helps in increasing urine volume. This aids in flushing microorganisms out of the urinary tract.

Drinking cranberry juice helps in preventing bacteria from holding on to the walls of the tract. Drinking corn silk concoction promotes regular urine elimination. This concoction is known as a diuretic.

Although urinary tract infection is not a very serious health problem, it doesn’t mean that we will not take care of ourselves to be free of it. It is important that we exert effort to prevent it because it can be very discomforting.

Simple changes in our lifestyle like drinking plenty of clean water instead of soda and not holding urine could be of great help in preventing UTI.

They are easier to do than holding your urine anyway! And they are good for preventing other diseases as well.

The risk of having UTI or urinary tract infection can differ from one person to the other. For instance, those people having urinary problems that are caused by kidney stones or those with enlarged prostate are mostly susceptible to acquiring UTI.

There are a lot of possibilities of getting an infection to the urinary tract. It could be due to poor hygiene, sexual intercourse, or those who have been exposed to urethral catheter. People who have diabetes are also prone to having UTI since their immune system is weak.

There are also some cases where people are exposed to having an infection at an early age.
It could be because they have some urinary problems as a child.

A lot of studies show that urinary tract infection is mostly seen in women. This is because a female sexual organ is an open system and it is normally moist, thus bacteria easily clutter around and the onset of infection begins.

Most specialists believe that bacteria travel to the urinary tract because of some changes in the position of the urinary tract.

Urinary tract infection can be diagnosed through a series of laboratory tests to the urine sample. The urine is examined for the presence of bacteria and the doctor will then prescribe proper treatment.

However, for serious cases and if the urine test is still not enough, a cystoscopy is necessary to diagnose the infection.

Cystoscopy is a diagnostic exam that is usually done to people having a suspected endometrial cysts. However, in some cases, a doctor orders to carry out this procedure for possible urinary tract infection most especially if it is already a serious UTI case.

It is a procedure done by the doctor to see the inside of the bladder using a cystoscope. Cystoscope is a thin, medical tube instrument having several lenses. The light source coming of the cystoscope helps in visualizing the condition of the bladder.

It is important to undergo cystoscopy during the onset of urinary tract infection. There are instances that a urine sample is just not enough to determine how serious the case is.

When there is excessive pain in urinating and the client is positive for hematuria and protenuria, one should undergo cystoscopy to be able to find the proper treatment for UTI.

Cystoscopy is not an invasive procedure. You can still eat and drink while preparing for the procedure.

Again, almost all urinary tract infections are created by certain strains of bacteria. When this problem takes place, any region of your urinary tract can be infected; this may include the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra.

Bladder and urethra infections are widely known to be the most common among any other. Now, if you just try to research about this disease, you will understand that there are indeed some medicines that can cause urinary tract infections.

Ironic as it may seem, a lot of patients are given antibiotics in order to treat the dilemma although studies proves that the drug do not actually help solve the problem. That’s because it would even encourage the growth of infections that are resistant to the drug.

It is believed that about 180,000 of children living in U.S. will most likely suffer from urinary tract infection the moment when they reach the age of 6 and preventive use of antimicrobials is the best thing to go for particularly in cases when repeated infections take place.

But let it be reminded that although it is believed that antibiotic is a medicine which can cause urinary tract infection, most doctors would still opt for this treatment. That’s due to the fact that the effect of it has been proven to treat the root of the problem.

That said, it is still best to seek the help of a physician in order for you to be properly guided when looking for the best kind of treatment to go for.

Because of this, it is advised that you must understand the signs of urinary tract infection so they can work the soonest when the time when the first symptoms are observed. The signs may include frequent urge to urinate and there is a painful burning feeling near the region of the Read more >>

Urinary tract infection is caused by the intrusion of bacteria into the urinary tract – kidneys, urethra, bladder and ureters. Next to respiratory infections, urinary tract infections are the second most common type of infection that can affect the human body.

Here is a recap on some possible reasons why one can have urinary tract infection in case you missed my previous posts:

Bacteria from the digestive system
Normally, urine is free of bacteria, viruses and fungi. However, when bacteria from the digestive system get into the urethra, they multiply and cause infection. The most common type of bacteria is Escherichia coli or more popularly known as E. coli.

Sexual Intercourse
Bacteria may also enter the urinary tract due to sexual intercourse. The most common bacteria that may lead to UTI are Chlamydia and Mycoplasma.

Holding Urine
Holding urine increases the chances for bacteria that may be present in it to multiply. This may lead to infection.

Infection in the urethra is called urethritis. The bacteria do not always stay in the urethra alone. It can travel to the bladder, ureters and eventually into the kidneys. Infection in the bladder is called cystitis while infection in the kidneys is called pyelonephritis.

Urinary tract infections can be treated using antibacterial drugs. For most cases, treatment may last for just a few days to about a week or two.

But if there are obstructions or presence of other diseases, treatment may be prolonged. Infections caused by Chlamydia and Mycoplasma need a longer treatment period.

Aside from using drugs, one could use natural remedy for UTI.

Here is a list of some of them that you can easily follow from home: Read more >>