Urinary tract infections, also called “UTIs,” are infections that affect any area along the course of urine flow including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, bladder, or Botox injections into the bladder to help get the muscle of the bladder to relax.prostate, or urethra. Bladder infections are more common Most commonly they occur in the bladder and tend to affect women more than men.
Bladder infections happen when bacteria get into the urethra and travel up into the bladder. Kidney infections happen when the bacteria travel even higher, up into the kidneys.
Common symptoms include, pain or a burning feeling when you urinate, increased urinary frequency, urgency, and occasionally blood in the urine.
Symptoms of a kidney infection can include the symptoms of a bladder infection, but also can cause fever, chills, back pain, and nausea or vomiting.
If you suspect you have a UTI contact your doctor and a urine test can be ordered to look for bacteria to make the diagnosis and help guide treatment.
Most urinary tract infections are treated with antibiotics taken typically for 3 to 7 days. Unless you have a kidney infection in which case you may have to take antibiotics for up to 2 weeks and perhaps even be treated in the hospital.
Your symptoms should begin to improve within a day of starting antibiotics. But you should finish all the antibiotic pills you get. Otherwise your infection might come back.
If you feel as though you get frequent UTIs then first, check with your doctor to make sure that you are really having bladder infections. The symptoms of bladder infection can be caused by other things. Your doctor will want to see if those problems might be causing your symptoms.
But if you are really dealing with repeated infections, there are things you can do to keep from getting more infections. You should avoid using spermicides for birth control, drink more fluid, urinate right after sex, and if post menopausal then ask your doctor about topically applied vaginal estrogen.