Who Is At Risk For A Bladder Infection
Anyone can get bladder infections, but women are more prone to getting them than men. This is because women have shorter urethras, making the path to the bladder easier for bacteria to reach.
Females urethras are also located closer to the rectum than mens urethras. This means there is a shorter distance for bacteria to travel.
As men age, the prostate can enlarge. This can cause blockages to the flow of urine and increase the likelihood of a man developing a UTI. UTIs tend to increase in men as they age.
Other factors can increase the risk of bladder infections for both men and women. These include:
- advanced age
Your doctor may also perform a urine culture, which is a test to determine the type of bacteria in the urine causing the infection. Once the type of bacteria is known, it will be tested for antibiotic sensitivity to determine which antibiotic will best treat the infection.
You can connect with a primary care doctor or an urologist in your area using the Healthline FindCare tool.
Bladder infections are treated with prescription medications to kill the bacteria, usually antibiotics, and medications that relieve pain and burning.
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How To Feel Better
If your healthcare professional prescribes you antibiotics:
- Take antibiotics exactly as your healthcare professional tells you.
- Do not share your antibiotics with others.
- Do not save antibiotics for later. Talk to your healthcare professional about safely discarding leftover antibiotics.
Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Your healthcare professional might also recommend medicine to help lessen the pain or discomfort. Talk with your healthcare professional if you have any questions about your antibiotics.
How Is Bladder Pain Syndrome Treated
There is no cure for bladder pain syndrome. But your doctor will try different treatments to figure out how to improve your symptoms.
The first treatment many people try includes steps you can take at home. Sometimes, by changing what you eat, you can make your symptoms go away. But even when symptoms do go away, they may return days or years later.
If your symptoms do not get better, other treatments your doctor may suggest include:10
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Medications For Unspecified Oab
If your doctor cant find a cause for your OAB, dont worry. Drugs can still help ease your symptoms. Some of these drugs work by relaxing your bladder. They stop involuntary contractions that bring on the urge to urinate. Other drugs help strengthen the tissues around your bladder that may have become weak. The stronger tissue can help improve your bladder control.
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Why Does Constipation Cause Uti
Constipation and UTI are related to each other. There are three top reasons that can bring forth the reasons why constipation increases the risk of Urinary Tract Infection . Let us have a look at the three primary reasons.
Obstructed Bladder
If you are aware of the human physiology, you will notice that the colon and the rectum are adjacent to the bladder. When you start storing the waste products, your rectum along with the stool will put pressure on the bladder. This can be the reason that prevents from the emptying of your bladder entirely while you urinate.
When the urine accumulates in the bladder for a longer period of time, there is a greater probability that bacteria will start to pile up in the urine. Hence, you will suffer from UTI.
The Backward Flow of the Urine
When there is a pressure on the bladder from the colon, it can also cause the urine to flow in the backward direction from the urethra to the bladder section. Hence, the bacteria also flows back from the urethra to the bladder. This also leads to constipation and burning urine at the same time, and it can be quite painful and discomforting for the person suffering.
The E. coli Bacteria
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What Behavioral Changes Can I Make To Help With Overactive Bladder
There are many techniques and changes to your typical behavior that you can try to help with an overactive bladder. These can include:
Keeping a log: During a typical day, write down your fluid intake, the number of times you urinate, the number of accidents and when they occur. Make a note about what happened when the accident happened, like when you:
- Were unable to reach the bathroom in time.
Monitoring your diet: Eliminate or decrease foods or beverages that may worsen your bladder symptoms. These could include:
- Spicy and acidic foods and drinks.
- Foods and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners.
Maintaining bowel regularity: Constipation can place added pressure on the bladder and have a negative effect on your bladder function. By keeping healthy bowel habits, you may be able to avoid constipation and help to lessen bladder symptoms. The following are some suggestions for maintaining bowel regularity:
- Increase your fiber intake by eating foods like beans, pasta, oatmeal, bran cereal, whole wheat bread, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Every morning, take 2 tablespoons of this mixture: 1 cup apple sauce, 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, and ¾ cup prune juice.
- Exercise regularly to maintain regular bowel movements.
Maintaining a healthy weight: Being overweight can add pressure on your bladder, which may contribute to bladder control problems. If you are overweight, weight loss can reduce the pressure on your bladder.
Favorite Site For Urinary Health Podcasts
Podcasts arent just for politics, laughs, and murder mysteries. The American Urological Association has a fantastic one called, aptly, the Urology Care Podcast, which covers topics like sexual health myths, UTIs, prostate cancer, and more. Currently there are more than 140 episodes to listen to, ranging from about 4 minutes to 28 minutes long.
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Theres A Burning Sensation When You Urinate
Burning urination is never OK, advises Dr. Feuerstein. When you have a UTI and acidic urine passes through an inflamed urethra it can cause a burning sensation. However, burning urination doesnt always indicate a UTI. It could also be due to a sexually transmitted infection or another vaginal irritation, so have it checked out to fully determine the cause.
What Is The Anatomy Of The Lower Back
To comprehend different root causes of lower neck and back pain, it is very important to value the typical style of the tissues of this area of the body. Crucial structures of the lower back that can be connected to signs and symptoms in this region include the bony lumbar back , discs in between the vertebrae, tendons around the back and also discs, spine and also nerves, muscle mass of the lower back, inner body organs of the pelvis as well as abdomen, and also the skin covering the back location. Can A Urinary Tract Infection Cause Lower Back Pain
The bony lumbar back is designed to ensure that vertebrae stacked together can provide a movable support structure while likewise protecting the spinal cord from injury. The spine is composed of anxious tissue that extends down the spine from the mind.
Each vertebra has a spinous procedure, a bony prestige behind the spine, which guards the cords nervous tissue from influence trauma. Spinal column also have a solid bony body in front of the spine to provide a system ideal for weight bearing of all cells over the butts. The lumbar vertebrae pile instantly atop the sacrum bone that is positioned in between the butts.On each side, the sacrum fulfills the iliac bone of the pelvis to create the sacroiliac joints of the butts.
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What Are The Symptoms Of A Uti
Those who have had a urinary tract infection will tell you that theyre not a pleasant experience. Even though theyre common and very treatable, UTIs can be painful and frustrating, especially if they reoccur often.
Symptoms of a UTI can include:
- pain in your lower back or side
- pain, stinging or burning when you urinate
- feeling like you need to urinate more often than normal, but only passing a few drops
- cloudy urine
- urine that smells unusual and
- blood in your urine.
If a UTI has spread to your kidneys you might also experience fever, back pain, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Pain In The Right Side When Breathing
Pain under the right ribs or in the ribs can be due to muscle or bone reasons. In these cases the pains are usually stabbing, intensifying according to the movements that are made. Some of the causes of right rib pain are:
- Bone fractures
- Inflammation of cartilage in the ribs
- Bone cancer
Depending on the condition as well as on what level it is, the treatment should be one or the other. However, in those cases in which the pain in the right side is due to trauma or poor movement, recovery can be done with rest and the administration of analgesics to reduce the pain. In depending on which cases it will be necessary to immobilize the area.
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Does Cranberry Juice Prevent A Urinary Tract Infection
Many people say that cranberry juice can help treat, or even prevent, a UTI. Researchers are currently looking into the topic, but havent found a definitive answer yet. Healthcare providers recommend drinking lots of fluids if you have, or have a history of getting, a UTI. Adding a glass of unsweetened cranberry juice to your diet isnt a proven way to prevent a UTI, but it typically wont hurt you either.
Confusion Or Changes In Mental State
The symptoms of UTIs in older adults are often uncommon and complex. For example, seniors may have bacteria in their urine, which indicates a UTI, but not have any of the typical symptoms.
When seniors have a UTI, they often develop confusion, disorientation, and dizziness. These uncommon symptoms most likely arise due to the infections impact on their immune system.
An untreated UTI will only worsen, leading to more severe symptoms, and giving the infection time to spread to your kidneys. If youre not sure your symptoms are due to a UTI, its best to schedule an appointment so we can determine the cause of your symptoms and begin treatment if needed.
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What Should You Take For Uti Pain
UTIs are best treated with antibiotics prescribed by a doctor. However, there are some preventative and comfort measures you can do at home to alleviate UTI pain while you wait for antibiotics to kick in.
Drinking liberal amounts of fluids daily will flush out the bacteria. It may be helpful to drink pure cranberry juice because it contains an ingredient called A-type proanthocyanidins that can prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.
It is best to avoid coffee, tea, colas, alcohol, and other fluids that are known to irritate the urinary system.
Taking a vitamin C supplement may also help with UTIs because it makes your urine more acidic.
Pain In The Left Side Under Ribs
A pain in the left side of the body under your ribs may cause you panic because of the possibility that it is heart-related pain. While it is true that left sided rib cage pain could be a sign of angina or another serious cardiac issue, there are other reasons for such pain.
Your heart is located under your ribs, slightly to the left of your middle chest. If heart-related issues cause chest pain, this will feel like tight squeezing, pressure, or chest tightness under the left rib cage. Usually, the pain will spread to your left arm, jaw, and neck.
However, your left lung, spleen, and left kidney are also protected by the left rib cage. Any condition affecting these organs will result in mild to severe aches and pains under your left ribs.
Of course, blunt trauma to your left ribs or pulling a muscle will result in localized pain in the left side. You might also notice that your ribs are tender or sore to touch.
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Changes In Bladder Habits Or Symptoms Of Irritation
Bladder cancer can sometimes cause changes in urination, such as:
- Having to urinate more often than usual
- Pain or burning during urination
- Feeling as if you need to go right away, even when your bladder isnt full
- Having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream
- Having to get up to urinate many times during the night
These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection , bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate . Still, its important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
Bladder Infections In Women
40 percent of women in the United States develop a urinary tract infection at some point in their life.
This is because women have shorter urethras, making the path to the bladder easier for bacteria to reach. Womens urethras are also located closer to the rectum than mens urethras. This means there is a shorter distance for bacteria to travel.
During pregnancy, changes in the urinary tract increase the risk of an infection. Changes in the immune system also increase risk during pregnancy.
Some forms of birth control, like diaphragms and spermicides, may increase your risk of urinary tract infections.
Women are also more prone to recurring infections. About of women will experience a second infection within 6 months of their first infection.
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Preventing And Fixing An Overactive Bladder
Prevention is always the best medicine. With this in mind, lets first talk about some lifestyle choices that lower your risk of an overactive bladder.
The most important factors to preventing OAB are maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise. A healthy body optimizes the functioning of the urinary tract and other vital organs. Further, an active lifestyle is the best way to counteract diabetes and obesity. Other prevention measures include limiting alcohol and caffeine, quitting smoking, and managing any known medical conditions.
Now lets say youre struggling with a bit of OAB. Are there measures you can take to counteract it? Many signs point to yes. One noteworthy finding reported by Harvard University showed that 70 percent of women who used alternative remedies reported being satisfied with the treatment. These treatments might include supplements, herbs, and therapies.
While research is still a bit sparse , here are three that have shown promise.
Do I Have Chlamydia Or Uti
The symptoms Urinary tract infections and chlamydia can also cause pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic region. The main symptom that chlamydia does not share with UTIs is penile or vaginal discharge. A chlamydial infection can cause a yellowish, strong-smelling vaginal discharge or a watery, milky penile discharge.
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Why Its Important To Know About Bladder Infection Symptoms
When you know about bladder infection symptoms, it can help you take action faster before it gets worse. You can schedule an appointment with a doctor and figure out the best treatment action.
If a bladder infection is untreated, it can cause significant damage to the kidneys, which filters the fluid in your body. This is why its important to take action immediately if you know you have the symptoms.
If you have more questions about a bladder infection, you can contact us here.
Chondroitin And Glucosamine For Cats
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are not only used for pain management for arthritis, but can also help felines with UTI. These two compounds help cats rebuild the bladder wallpreventing further damage. Where glucosamine helps replace a compound in the lining of the urinary bladder, chondroitin helps prevent the breakdown of this compound. These two supplements also help to alleviate other symptoms of UTI in cats.
According to WebMD, you should give 50mg of chondroitin and 10omg of glucosamine to your cat for every 10 pounds.
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Living With Urinary Tract Infections
If you have 3 or more urinary tract infections each year, your doctor may want you to begin a preventive antibiotic program. A small dose of an antibiotic taken every day helps to reduce the number of infections. If sexual intercourse seems to cause infections for you, your doctor many suggest taking the antibiotic after intercourse.
Antibiotics For A Uti
The form of antibiotic used to treat a bacterial UTI usually depends on which part of the tract is involved.
Lower tract UTIs can usually be treated with oral antibiotics. Upper tract UTIs require intravenous antibiotics. These antibiotics are put directly into your veins.
Sometimes, bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. To reduce your risk of antibiotic resistance, your doctor will likely put you on the shortest treatment course possible. Treatment typically lasts no more than 1 week.
Results from your urine culture can help your doctor select an antibiotic treatment that will work best against the type of bacteria thats causing your infection.
Treatments other than antibiotics for bacterial UTIs are being examined. At some point, UTI treatment without antibiotics may be an option for bacterial UTIs by using cell chemistry to change the interaction between the body and the bacteria.
There are no home remedies that can cure a UTI, but there are some things that you can do that can help your medication work better.
These home remedies for UTIs, like drinking more water, may help your body clear the infection faster.
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