Urinary tract infections are much more common in women than in men, as their urethra is significantly shorter. So the bacteria have a shorter path. At the age of 15 to 39 years, 15.2% of women have at least one urinary tract infection per year, of 40 to 59-year-olds this applies to 11.4%, for women from 60 to 79 years it is still 9.7. In men, cystitis is rare between the ages of 17 and 79. Only 2.2 % suffer per year, from the age of 80 it is 5.3 %.
In addition, urinary tract infections are the most common nosocomial infections. Nosocomial infections are infections that are acquired in hospitals or in a clinical setting.
Risk factors for the development of a urinary tract infection are, in addition to the female sex, permanent catheters, nursing home or hospital stays and lack of intimate hygiene.
In addition to the division into a lower and an upper urinary tract infection, HWIs are classified into two categories:
- An uncomplicated urinary tract infection is present if there are no anatomical or functional abnormalities of the urinary system. These urinary tract infections usually heal on their own. In some cases, therapy with antibacterial drugs (antibiotics) is required.
- A complicated urinary tract infection occurs when an underlying disease (e.g. diabetes mellitus) or functional or anatomical abnormalities (e.g. due to foreign bodies, urinary stones, enlarged prostate, tumors) are present. In addition to antibiotic therapy, the elimination of risk factors is part of the therapy concept. If the beneficial factors are not eliminated, there is a risk of chronic urinary tract infection.
Symptoms
- Burning when urinating (Algurie, Dysuria)
- increased urge to urinate (pollakisuria)
- attenuated urinary ray
- Pain in the lower abdomen
- Difficulty holding the urine
- In upper urinary tract infections (e.g. inflammation of the renal pelvis) fever, flank pain and knocking pain of the kidney camps may occur
- Blood in the urine, which leads to an intense red colouring of the urine even to a very small extent
- However, it is not uncommon for a urinary tract infection to remain asymptomatic. About five to ten out of a hundred women with a urinary tract infection are completely free of complaints.
Causes/risk factors
- Frequent sexual intercourse (honeymoon cystitis)
- Certain methods of contraception, e.g. vaginal diaphragm
- Immunodeficiency (e.g. in diabetes mellitus)
- Disruption of urinary outflow (BPH and others)
- Medical procedures such as bladder catheters, cystoscopy and rinses
- Pregnancy
- Spinal cord injury
- Incorrect “wiping technique” after bowel movements. When wiped from the back to the front, intestinal bacteria are transported towards the urethra entrance.
Urine diagnostics:
- Urine examination with test strips (detection of nitrite and leukocytes in urine)
- Microbial breeding of the triggering agents (urine culture)
Therapy – General measures
Did you know?
- Difference between urinary tract infection and cystitis
- Bladder inflammation, like urethritis, is a lower urinary tract infection. It therefore only affects the bladder, while a urinary tract infection can generally also affect the upper urinary tract.
