urinary tract infections are more common than we think. Do you know that one out of five women gets UTIs once in their life? getting infected with UTIs happened also to men, elderly people, and even kids may get infected. but women tend to have UTIs more because females’ urethra is shorter they could be infected easily.  

What is the urinary tract?

first of all, let me explain what urinary tract infections really are? they are infections caused by microbes and affect our urinary system.

our urinary tract consists of kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The urinary system is often divided into two major sections:

Firstly, the upper urinary tract, which contains both kidneys and ureters. 

• kidney: this organ is playing a major role in body filtration, by getting rid of toxins and excess water. 
• ureters: they are 2 tubes on both sides of our body, conducting and transmitting the urn from the kidneys down to the bladder. 

Secondly, the lower urinary tract, where most UTIs happened. it’s made up of, the bladder and urethra. 

• the bladder: it’s a sac-like organ where urine is stored, it may adopt a special kind of inflammation called cystitis after getting infected with UTIs.
• urethra: it’s the tube responsible for emptying the urine out of the body. and it’s way shorter in females than males. 

How does urine gets produced? 

Urine is a waste product, that our body produces to get rid of toxins and execs water.

What are the most common symptoms of Urinary tract infection? 

UTIs can show up with different symptoms according to the site of infection in the urinary tract. so let’s dive deeper into the exact symptoms of each part of the urinary system.

UTIs in the urethra gives painful and burning sensations during urination. and the repetitive urge to urinate which is extremely annoying. 

UTIs in the bladder is called cystitis, symptoms of cystitis may be:

• red urine in color, according to the presence of blood cells in the urine.
• cloudy urine.
• very strong smell, or bad odor and discharges.
• feeling pressure in the lower pelvic and lower abdomen.  
• incontinence or urine leakage which is annoying for the patient. 
• frequent urination which may overlap with diabetes.

UTIs in the ureters and kidneys are more serious than the other UTIs. this is why doctors suggest their patients get diagnosed and treated as fast as they could. to avoid the infections from spreading up to ureters and kidneys. 

• nausea and vomiting.
• Fever and chills.
• back pain. 

 What are the causes of urinary tract infections?

UTIs are mainly caused by very tiny microorganisms. those germs can’t be seen by the necked eye. we call them bacteria. Doctors use microscopes to know which bacteria are causing the infection.

E Coli causes urinary infections more often, it lives normally in our intestine, from which it travels to the urethra all the way from the anus opening.

Diagnosis

• urinalysis.
• urine culture.
• ultrasound.
• Cystoscopy.

Treatment

your doctor most likely will prescribe an antibiotic, that suits your case to give you the best results.