Diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infection is an infection in any part of the urinary tract. This is caused by bacteria. Urinary tract infections are the second most common infections in the human body. Most of the time it is the bladder that has the infection. This is called the acute cystitis. This infection is not dangerous if the treatment is sought early. But if the infection of the bladder is left untreated it may spread to the kidneys. This is serious and this may cause permanent damage.
The symptoms of bladder infection are increase in the frequency of urination, cloudy urine, foul smelling urine, burning with urination, urge to urinate. Besides that there is no significant pain. The symptoms of the infection in little children are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and loss of appetite. The older children may experience abdominal pain. If the bladder is affected the patient may suffer from lower abdominal discomfort, pelvic pressure, low grade fever and frequent urination. The symptoms of the infection vary according to the part of the tract that was affected and the age of the patient.
Urinary tract infection is more common in women because the urethra is smaller in women. The chance of suffering from this disease increases for pregnant women, diabetic people and in people who drink less fluid. This infection can be diagnosed by the observation of the symptoms. Other than that it can also be detected with a urinalysis or urine culture. This infection can be treated by the prescription of oral antibiotics. The infection can be cured in one week or two weeks. Other measure can be to increase the intake of fluids. But if the urinary tract infection has infected the kidneys then it will be treated with oral antibiotics or intravenous antibiotics. It is mandatory to complete the course of the medications even if the patient is feeling better. In case the infection does return it will be harder to treat the infection the second time.
This infection can be prevented by drinking lots of water and urinating often. There may also be a vaccine in the future that will prevent the infection from recurring.
