What is a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are urinary tract infections. This type of infection can affect the urethra (a condition called urethritis), the kidneys (a condition called pyelonephritis), or the bladder (a condition called cystitis).
Normally, urine does not contain bacteria. Urine is the kidney, a by-product of our filtration system. Urine is produced when the kidneys remove waste products and excess water from the blood. Normally, urine travels through the urinary system without being contaminated. However, bacteria can invade the urinary system from outside the body and cause problems such as infection and inflammation. This is a urinary tract infection (UTI).
What is the Urinary Tract?
The urinary tract produces and stores urine, one of the body’s liquid waste products. The urinary tract contains the following parts:
- Kidneys: These small organs are located behind the body, just above the waist. They are filters for your body-remove waste and water from your blood. This waste product becomes urine.
- Ureter: The ureter is a thin tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
- Bladder: A bladder, a sac-like container, stores urine before it leaves the body. Urethra: This tube carries urine out of the body from the bladder.
How common are Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)?
Urinary tract infections are very common and at some point in life one in five women is infected. UTIs are common in women, but can also occur in men, the elderly, and children. One to two percent of children develop urinary tract infections. Each year, 8 to 10 million doctors are seen for urinary tract infections.
Who Gets Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)?
Anyone can develop a UTI, but UTIs are more common in women. This is because the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) is shorter in women and closer to the anus, where E. coli is common. Older people are also at increased risk of developing cystitis. This increased risk may be due to an incompletely empty bladder. There are several potentially related conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and bladder prolapse (a condition in which the bladder falls or shifts from its normal position).
This article was written by Sudeep Updahye.
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