10 Symptoms Of Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infection (UTI) can occur in any element of the urinary system, the bladder, urethra, and kidney. It is not specific to any gender but it is most common in females as they have a small urethra. Due to this fact, the pathogens take less time to travel towards the bladder.

According to an estimate, 40-60% of females have complained about UTI in their life. It has been advised to women that they wipe from front to back after using the loo. This prevents the bacteria of the anal region from irritating the urinary system.

There have been cases where the UTI was not cared for and the infection spread from the urethra to the bladder and then to the kidneys. In severe cases, UTI has even lead to the development of pyelonephritis. In children, recurrent UTI indicates a malfunction UTI. Other viral and fungal infections cause UTI as well.

# 1 urinary tract infection symptom- Dysuria

Dysuria referred to painful urination often accompanied by a burning and stinging sensation. In the initial days, the discomfort is tolerable and could be due to damage to the urethral lining due to the bacterial infection.

The pain is similar in feeling to water running over a cut. It is highly recommended that during UTI’s, the infected individual should drink lots of water to eventually flush the bacteria out. This helps in making urination less painful as the urine is diluted. Sexually transmitted diseases, prostatitis, etc also cause dysuria.

# 2 urinary tract infection symptom- cloudy urine

The color of urine should be a light straw color. But when an individual is infected with UTI, the color of urine gets dark and cloudy due to the bacterial infection. The clouded appearance is attributed to the presence of bacteria, white blood cells and dead skin cells in the urine.

Always seek medical intervention in time to prevent the condition from worsening. Ignoring initial symptoms could cause damage much later. UTI testing kits are available in pharmacies.

# 3 urinary tract infection symptom- Urine odor

It is normal for urine to have a mild and almost unnoticeable odor. But due to the presence of abnormalities in urine, the smell of urine can get very unpleasant. This is alert enough to get tested and seek treatment on time.

The smell of ammonia is stronger in highly concentrated urine which has a lot of waste in it. If the urine is concentrated it means that the individual is not drinking lots of water. Some other causes of strong smelling urine are uncontrolled diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and cystitis.

# 4 urinary tract infection symptom- Urgency

The sudden urge to micturate even after using the loo is another symptom of UTI. The infected individuals have difficulty in holding their urine and accidental leaks occur. The reason behind this sudden urge to urinate is due to the contracting bladder. The amount of urine that leaks will usually be very little but the individual feels as though there was the bladder was full.

# 5 urinary tract infection symptom- chills and fever

The most common symptom of an infection is the fever. Chills may or may not accompany it but in UTI chills and fever occur together.

During an infection, chills and fever are experienced due to the release of cytokines and prostaglandins. It should be noted that this combination of fever and chills is observed only in children with UTI. Seek early treatment whenever an infection occurs.

#6 urinary tract infection symptom- Tiredness and irritability

When the body starts fighting with the pathogen, irritability and tiredness are natural phenomena. Cytokines, prostaglandins, and interleukins are released during infection and this makes the infected individual irritated and tired.

These are often experienced by children and elderly people hence it is important to take notice in these behavioral changes. It is easy to skip notice of this symptom in UTI.

#7 urinary tract infection symptom- Abdominal pain

Discomfort in the lower abdomen area of the back or side is experienced by individuals in UTI. The feeling of pressure often leads the individual to think it’s due to the bladder. Back pain indicates that the infection has reached the kidneys. Older patients complain about cramping and pain around the bladder and pelvic region.

This symptom closely resembles a regular tummy ache but it is important to notice that pain around the back or side of the tummy. Even though the patient changes position and body posture the pain still persists. Fever, chills, vomiting, and nausea are often accompanied in UTI with lower abdominal pain.

#8 urinary tract infection symptom- Hematuria

Blood in urine is referred to as hematuria. In UTI, the color of blood in urine is pinkish with just traces of it. In renal and bladder cancer also blood in urine is observed.

This is a serious symptom and it should not be ignored. Stones in kidney or cancer should be ruled out when hematuria is observed. Often when we eat dragon fruit or beetroots, urine does get a pink tint. The drug Rifampin also gives urine a pink color.

#9 urinary tract infection symptom-Frequency

UTI is symbolic to frequent urge to micturate. The feeling of micturating frequently develops even though there is not much urine volume. This indicates that the bladder is hyperactive and irritated.

Conditions like dysuria, prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia also display this symptom.

#10 urinary tract infection symptom- Confusion

In elderly patients, symptoms of UTI are often misread or ignored. Confusion is an atypical symptom in the UTI infected elderly patients. This symptom of confusion is largely related to lower immune responses.

Often elderly patients have dementia and hence UTI diagnosis becomes difficult. This UTI symptom of confusion is easily ignored as it being dementia. Agitation, withdrawal, and irritability are also atypical UTI symptoms.