People are likely to face at least some UTI symptoms (urinary tract infection) at some stage in their life. About 8.1 million people suffer from urinary tract infection and pay a visit to the physician’s office each year. And 5 percent of them visit the physicians of the first-contact medical care. The ratio of UTI among women is 40 percent, whereas in men, it is 12 percent. Antibiotic medications help in the treatment of UTI. Knowing the symptoms of it for early treatment is important. 

Common UTI Symptoms

Some people may have unary tract infection without any symptoms, and it can go away without any treatments. But the symptoms may also appear variously according to the part of UTI.

The form below lists the symptoms of UTI of special groups.   

The following video tells UTI symptoms and signs of men and women respectively in detail:

Causes of UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial contagion that may occur in any fraction of the urinary system. Parts of the urinary system in which a UTI may occur include:

• Your bladder
• Kidneys
• Urethra
• Ureter

Most of the urinary tract infections take place in the bladder and the urethra, which are the parts of the lower urinary tract. However, your body consists of hormones that can kill or damage these bacteria. Most of the time, your body can get rid of these bacteria.

Risk Factors

• Gender. UTIs are most prevalent in women. Women’s urethra, i.e., the tube that gives way to the urine to pass out of the body is smaller than the men’s urethra. Thus, this leads to easier access for the bacteria to arrive at the bladder of the women.

• Have sex actively. Women who are actively engaged in sexual activities are more likely to develop urinary tract infections than women who are not.

• Birth control measures. Women who take precautionary methods and use birth control pills and spermicidal agents are at an elevated risk of developing urinary tract infection.

• Go through menopause. After the menopause, the urinary tract infection becomes more prevalent due to the change in the urinary area caused by the deficiency of estrogen.

• Natural urinary tract abnormalities. Babies that are naturally born with abnormalities in the urinary area are at a greater risk of developing UTIs. 

• Obstruction blocking the urinary tract. An engorged prostate (found in males only) or kidney stone blocks urine in the bladder and raises the risk of UTI in men

• Weakened immune system. Diseases like diabetes that damage or weaken the immune system may expand the risk of UTIs.

• Use a urinary catheter. Catheter is basically a tube used to urinate and is used by people who are paralyzed or hospitalized and have difficulty in urinating. The catheter users have a greater risk of developing UTIs.

Treatments of UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)

Home Remedies

If you notice any UTI symptoms and have diagnosed with it, you can try the following ways to deal with it naturally. 

• Drink much water

Firstly, drink water in abundance so that the urine liquefies and becomes thin. As soon as the urine becomes all watery and thin, it will start to clear away the bacteria. The large amount of water intake helps clear out the bacteria.

• Avoid irritants

Refrain from all sorts of liquids like alcohol, soft drink, citrus juice, caffeine, fizzy drink, and coffee until the contagion has been flushed out of your system. These drinks may aggravate your bladder, which is why you need to avoid drinking all sorts of those fluids.

• Apply warm compress (not hot)

Use a warm heating pad on your stomach. In this way, you can lessen the bladder pain. Do not use steaming hot water in the heating pad, instead, make use of the warm water and apply the heating pad gently on your stomach.

• Take in more vitamin C

The intake of vitamin C in the body should be increased. Vitamin C helps to make your urine acidic so that it can fight the bacteria in the urinary area.

• Drink cranberry juice

Unsweetened cranberry juice can assist in clearing out the bacteria, and preventing the bacteria from breaking down the bladder wall. Sweetened cranberry juice would be of no help, as it would only increase calories.

• Take in yogurt

Yogurt includes good bacteria called probiotics, which keeps the bad bacteria that infect the urinary tract ambushed. It is healthy, so you can have yogurt every day. Particularly UTI patients who take antibiotic medicines should have yogurt. 

• Try herbal remedies

There is herbal cure for UTI. The herb named urva ursi works wonders. Working as an anti insurgent, this herb can relieve the pain. Furthermore, Oregon grape root, and goldenseal are the herbs that help in fighting off the bacteria that cause UTI, i.e., E. coli.

Medical Treatments

• Take some drugs

Drugs that are usually suggested for common urinary tract infection consist of:
1.  Ampicillin
2.  Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim
3.  Ciprofloxacin
4.  Amoxicillin
5.  Levaquin
6.  Nitrofurantoin
During the treatment, symptoms usually diminish after a few days, but you should continue taking the antibiotics for almost a week.  

• Antibiotic treatments

For severe infections, the doctor suggests certain treatments like
1.  Taking urine sample at home to verify infection.
2.  Taking a time-consuming, lengthy treatment of antibiotics.
3.  Vaginal estrogen treatment.
4.  A prescribed amount of antibiotics after a sexual intercourse.