Incontinence & Overactive Bladder Health Center
Related to Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) and Incontinence
Treatments for Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
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What is a Urinary Tract Infection?

A Urinary tract infection (UTI) is defined as the presence of multiplying micro-organisms in the urinary tract through which urine flows from the kidneys via the bladder then exiting the body.

UTI is 50 times more common in women than in men.

A UTI can be mild but present as a distressing, painful inflammation that is limited to the bladder, which is called cystitis. A more severe infection that reaches deep into the kidney tissue is called pyelonephritis.

Most patients respond quickly to antibiotic therapy and will not likely have any other urinary tract complications.

What causes UTI?
In healthy men and women, urine is sterile and doesn't contain micro-organisms. To maintain the sterility of the urinary tract patients should completely empty their bladders with each void. The most common cause of UTIs is bacteria that initially settle (colonize) around the urethra (urine tube), and then ascend into the rest of the urinary tract.
For patients who suffer from recurrent UTIs
here are some tips that might help.

  • FLUSH YOUR BLADDER! Drink 2 to 3 liters (68 - 100 oz) of fluid daily and always pass urine before bed and after sex.
  • Avoid bubble baths
  • Wear 100% cotton underwear
  • Talk to you healthcare provider about a low dose antibiotic treatment for a continuous six months.
  • Raise good bacteria by taking probiotics.
  • Cranberries have an anti-adhesive property that helps prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the bladder liner.health benefits are well known. Drink at least one half cup four times a day. Or take a cranberry tablet once or twice a day.
  • Take D-Mannose with your next UTI and stay on a maintenance dose indefinitely.
Some of the factors that can make
this process more likely are:
  • Obstruction:
  • Enlarged prostate
  • Gland urethral stricture (narrowing).
  • Neurological conditions such as spina bifida, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury.
  • Structural bladder disease such as diverticula (small sacs or bulges) in the bladder wall or a tumor
  • Underlying disease such as diabetes
  • Steroid therapy
  • Indwelling catheters and stents
  • Lack of sterile technique during a procedure
  • Bladder reflux disease
  • Polycystic kidney
UTIs can be acquired through the community or the hospital (nosocomial). The majority of UTIs are community acquired and usually caused by a patient's own bowel bacteria, Escherichia (E-coli). For those whose UTIs are contracted through community, their susceptibility can be significantly decreased by practicing good peri care on a routine basis.

What are the signs and symptoms of UTI?
Lower UTIs cause dysuria (burning feeling when passing urine), frequency (feeling of the frequent need to pass urine) and urgency (compelling need to urinate). Many times the urine will be cloudy and have a strong, offensive odor. In older men and women, generalized symptoms such as confusion and incontinence can be present. Urine infections are much commoner in the elderly, due to poor bladder emptying, an enlarged prostate or incontinence associated with stroke or dementia. Elders who may not stay hydrated will have concentrate urine, which can be irritable to the bladder

Upper UTIs have the same symptoms of lower UTIs plus flank pain, fever, chills and sometimes hematuria (blood in the urine). Upper UTIs will likely require a hospital admission and aggressive IV (intravenous) antibiotic therapy.