Signs and treatment of urinary tract infections in women

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Tran Thanh Hung - Department of General Surgery, Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Urinary tract infection in women is a disease that causes many negative impacts on the patient's daily life. This disease can lead to many dangerous complications if not prevented and treated aggressively. For a comprehensive overview of urinary tract infections in women, please refer to the information shared below.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection of the urinary tract caused by bacteria. Specifically, when bacteria enter the bladder or kidneys, they proliferate in these organs; They can cause urinary tract infections and eventually seriously affect every organ of the urinary system.
Urinary tract infection is a common disease in women. Any part of the urinary system is at risk of infection, from the kidneys and ureters to the bladder and urethra. This disease can affect fertility and cause serious complications for the patient.

Urinary tract infection in women not only adversely affects daily activities, but it can also cause many dangerous complications such as: Pregnant women have urinary tract infections if not detected and treated promptly. miscarriage, premature birth. Urinary tract infections can block the fallopian tubes and lead to infertility in women. People with urinary tract infections are always in a state of painful urination, even blood in the urine, so sex is often painful, affecting emotions in sex. Urinary tract infections, if not treated promptly, can cause acute or chronic pyelonephritis or pyelonephritis. Urinary tract infections, if left untreated, can lead to abscesses, sepsis, kidney failure, or even death. When urinary tract infection becomes a chronic disease, the inevitable consequence is chronic kidney failure.

Urinary tract infections in women often cause the following typical symptoms:
Patients often feel the need to urinate, often urinate at night, pain in the lower abdomen, especially during urination. Women often have painful urination, frequent urination, burning when urinating, cloudy urine color and strong odor. In some cases, there may be blood in the urine. The patient urinates many times but the amount of urine is very little. Some patients have severe pain in the lower abdomen and lower back due to urinary tract infections in the ureters and kidneys. Severe cases; Patients also feel fever, chills, nausea and vomiting.

Urinary tract infections are mainly caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract. Bacteria usually enter the inflammatory route upstream from the external genitalia and then spread to the kidney. Common types of bacteria in patients with urinary tract infections are E.Coli, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Chlamydia, gonorrhea,... Urine is a favorable environment for the proliferation and development of bacteria. bacteria mentioned above. When the number of bacteria in the urine reaches a high number, it will cause a urinary tract infection.
Other factors increase the risk of urinary tract infections in women: People with urinary tract stones, urinary retention due to tumors, prostate enlargement, diabetes, kidney malformations, impaired Immunity, old age, weakness,...
Besides, sex with a person with urinary tract infection is also the main cause of this disease. In addition, women with recurrent cystitis (more than 3 times/year, narrowing of the urinary opening, improper hygiene after intercourse or menstruation, frequent constipation, etc.) In particular, many studies also show that postmenopausal women have a high rate of urinary tract infections due to a decrease in female hormones, changes in urine pH, vaginal mucosa, and urinary tract. The urethra and bottom of the bladder are thinner, making it easier to get sick.

The treatment of urinary tract infections in women includes eradicating the bacteria and viruses that cause the disease and eliminating factors that increase the risk of infection. Usually, UTI symptoms go away after a few days of treatment, while others require longer-term antibiotics. People with recurrent urinary tract infections often have to prolong treatment or receive more short courses of antibiotics after the symptoms are gone. For cases of UTIs caused by sexually-related infections, prophylactic treatment by taking a dose of antibiotics after each sexual intercourse.
For patients with severe urinary tract infections, they are advised to go to the hospital for treatment and intravenous antibiotics. If the disease recurs or the infection becomes chronic, the patient should be monitored by a nephrologist to find and give an appropriate treatment regimen, reducing the risk of complications of kidney failure.
In particular, urinary tract infections in women are easy to recur. Therefore, patients with frequent recurrent UTIs (more than 2 times/month) should use low-dose prophylactic antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor for many months or can be used intermittently (using 1 week). take a week off and then use again), take before going to bed or after intercourse. In addition, in case of recurrent cystitis, women can use the vaccine (extract of E. Coli): take 1 tablet/day for 3 months, then repeat every 3 months for 30 days for 1 year. . This therapy significantly reduces the number of recurrences and the severity of each episode of cystitis. At the same time, you can also drink corn silk, psyllium regularly to prevent the risk of disease recurrence.
Patients absolutely do not self-medicate, do not self-medicate with leftover medicine from the previous treatment. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics can easily lead to bacteria becoming resistant to the drug and not achieving the desired therapeutic effect.

To reduce the risk of UTIs, you should refer to and follow these guidelines:
Maintain good personal hygiene, especially before intercourse. Avoid using substances that can irritate the urethra such as: Soak in a soapy bath, use a topical deodorant, etc. Instead, take a shower. Drink plenty of water to increase urine output to flush bacteria out of the urinary tract. Urinate before and after intercourse. When defecating, wipe the anus from front to back to avoid introducing bacteria from the anus into the urethral opening. Increase the use of foods rich in vitamin C such as citrus fruits to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections. Women in the age of sexual activity often suffer from urinary tract infections, so they should review their intercourse positions to avoid positions that have a lot of impact on the urethral opening. Absolutely do not hold urine because this will cause the urine to stagnate, creating a favorable environment for bacteria to multiply and grow. Not only that, holding in urine also increases the risk of muscle tone, bladder spasms. When urinating, you should go slowly, not too hard to avoid affecting the pelvis. Treatment eliminates the causes of urinary tract inflammation such as prostate enlargement, urinary tract stones. Avoid wearing clothes and underwear that are too tight, made of hot, secret materials. Urinary tract infections in women, if not treated early, will cause many inconveniences in the patient's daily life and even lead to unpredictable complications. Therefore, when there are signs of suspected disease, patients should soon make an appointment with experienced doctors at Vinmec for timely advice and treatment.
To prevent urinary tract infections, you should completely eliminate diseases such as urinary tract stones, prostate enlargement by endoscopic laser vaporization less invasive, quick recovery in the muscles. reputable medical institution.
Currently, female urinary tract infections are being treated at hospitals of Vinmec Health System with the support of advanced and modern machinery systems such as C-Arm system, ultrasound machine. In surgery,...
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