Urine infections in summer

A UTI (urinary tract infection) is an infection at any point in the urinary tract, which are the ones that produce, store and eliminate urine. The organs that may be affected are: the kidneys (organs located in the lower back that produce urine; the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder of urine); the urinary bladder (organ that stores urine urine); and the urethra (tube that carries urine from the urinary bladder to the outside).

• They are more frequent in women because their urethra is shorter and bacteria reach the bladder more frequently.
• Sexual intercourse can allow bacteria to reach the urethra, although it is not a sexually transmitted infection.
• Treatment of urine infection is usually antibiotic.

Why do they occur

Urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria, which usually come up through the urethra or more rarely through the bloodstream. If only the urethra is affected, they are called urethritis; the urethra and bladder of urine,; and if it reaches the kidney it is pyelonephritis. UTIs are more common in women than in men because their urethra is shorter and therefore bacteria reach the bladder more frequently. If they only stay in the urethra and urination occurs, the urine usually drags them out without giving them time to cause an infection of the tissue. The way the bacteria reach the urethra can be through sexual intercourse, since bacteria present on the skin, in the vagina or even in the rectum can be pushed into the urethra, but they are not an infection since it is not contagious from one person to another. If after a urination, especially girls, cleaning from back to front instead of cleaning from front to back, the bacteria present in the rectum can reach the entrance of the urethra and therefore colonize it.

What symptoms do they give

Typical symptoms of urine infection are:

• Very frequent need to urinate
• pain or burning when urinating
• Presence of blood in urine
• pain in the lower abdomen
• General discomfort

If the infection has reached the kidney and, therefore, it is pyelonephritis, the symptoms are usually:

• High fever
• Shaking chills
• General discomfort
• Back pain at the lumbar level
• nausea and vomiting

Treatment

If after an examination and perhaps some complementary tests such as a urinalysis looking for leukocytes or bacteria, the doctor makes a diagnosis of urinary infection, the treatment is usually antibiotics. It is very important to finish the full treatment, otherwise the risk of repeating the infection is high. Sometimes an anti-inflammatory or antispasmodic treatment is also indicated to improve pain.

Prevention

There are people more prone to UTIs who could benefit from infection prevention. In some cases the doctor will indicate a longer antibiotic treatment. The changes in habits that favor the disappearance of urinary infections are:

• Try to drink a lot of water, at least six to eight glasses a day. In this way, the bladder fills up earlier and you urinate more often so that bacteria do not have time to grow in the urine bladder and cause infection.
• Get used to going to the bathroom frequently so that many hours do not pass between one urination and another.
• Keep the genital area clean and dry. Change pads and tampons frequently during menstruation. Use cotton underwear and not nylon to promote perspiration and avoid humidity. Do not keep the swimwear wet for a long time.
• Urinate shortly after sexual intercourse so that bacteria that may have entered the urethra crawl out.
• Take cranberry in tablets already prepared or in juice. Cranberries acidify the urine and therefore make it difficult for bacteria to grow in the bladder. In addition, they decrease the ease of bacteria adhering to the cells of the urinary bladder wall, thus hindering their infection.