UTIs occur in the urinary system and are more common in women because their urethras are shorter than men’s.
UTIs can occur anywhere in the urinary system: kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. But the most common are the bladder and urethra. Read: What’s good for cystitis?Home Remedies for Cystitis Relief
The most common symptoms are pain or burning when urinating, frequent urination, feeling the need to urinate even when the bladder is empty, blood in the urine, pressure or cramping in the groin or lower abdomen, depending on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For kidney UTIs, symptoms include fever, chills, pain in the lower back or lower back, nausea and vomiting, the CDC explains. The risk of this infection is greater.
four main myths
UTIs are fraught with “frustration and stigma,” Kalpana Gupta, a professor at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, told The New York Times.
These patients “felt a certain personal responsibility. Like they did something wrong,” the expert said.
To that end, The New York Times reached out to Ja-Hong Kim, a urologist at UCLA Health, and Benjamin Bricker, chief of urogynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center, to discuss the most frequently asked questions. Patients ask specialists for information about these urinary tract infections (UTIs).
1. If I have a UTI, is it possible not to feel the burning sensation?
“It’s possible. UTIs can occur anywhere in the urinary tract, including the urethra, bladder, kidneys, and, in men, the prostate,” explains Kim.
For a problem to be considered a UTI, the patient must have certain symptoms and confirm the presence of bacteria in their urine.
Many of the more well-known symptoms, such as burning sensation and constant toilet trips, “are known from studies of young, otherwise healthy, college-aged women,” Gupta said. But in reality, symptoms can vary.
In older adults, a UTI may be accompanied by a fever or a feeling of fullness, he explained. Some patients had low back pain, suggesting that the UTI could be in the kidneys, which would make it a more serious case that could lead to sepsis and kidney damage, although those findings are “very, very rare,” King said.
I don’t have any studies showing that urinating before or after sex reduces infection risk. “
Benjamin Bricker, chief of urogynecology.
3. Is there any health problem?
“Doctors often tell women that hygiene such as front-to-back cleaning, not wearing wet bathing suits for prolonged periods of time, and avoiding tight-fitting underwear can reduce the risk of UTIs. The chances of entering the urethra can also be reduced, and the chances of wet swimsuits or tight underwear irritating the vaginal area can also be reduced,” the New York Times wrote.
These practices do not cause harm, but there is no scientific evidence either.
Giving these types of advice can lead women to pay too much attention to their cleanliness.
“The bottom line is that the risk of contracting a UTI is not related to how much we bathe,” bathing suits or our choice of clothing, Brick said.
Read: Is it red, blue or green? : This shows that the color of your urine reflects your health
4. Are antibiotics my only option?
Not always. “Imagine when you’re hiking and you scratch yourself on a tree and the scratch turns a little red. Since your body can fight off these bacteria, you don’t need to take antibiotics,” Brick said.
“Urinary tract infections, like other infections, are caused by bacteria,” many healthy young patients find that the body is eventually able to expel the bacteria on its own. He explained that although antibiotics are part of the usual treatment regimen, it is worth doing the culture first, which will take some time, to determine the best course of treatment.