Symptoms and signs of bladder infections and urinary tract infections

When voiding, patients may itch or burn. The urine may have a foul odor or dark color. It may be bloody. There may be a fever. Some people, especially the elderly, may have no symptoms at all.

The disease is a bladder infection: a common malady which can become serious if not quickly diagnosed and treated. The anatomy of the urinary tract is important to consider.

The kidneys are located in the mid-upper area of the back partially covered by the lower ribs. Urine, a liquid waste product filtered from the bloodstream, collects and flows into the ureters (long, hollow, muscular tubes), which travel down to the bladder.

The bladder, normally about the size of a large grapefruit, holds the urine until full. As the bladder is stretched, the brain is signaled, resulting in the perceived urge to void. When ready to void we relax the sphincters, which restrict the release of urine. This allows the bladder contents to empty through the urethra and out of the body. At this juncture, the anatomy is critical.

In males the urethra passes through the prostate gland below the bladder and then through the length of the penis and out. This distance is considerably longer than the trip for the female. As a result, germs on the outside of the male body have a difficult time traveling through the longer urethra and into the bladder causing a bladder infection.

In females the distance is very short, resulting in much more frequent urinary tract infections in women . Further, bladder infections in male patients usually herald prostate disease since urinary tract infections in men are rare. All male patients with urinary tract infections need further urologic testing to make sure there is not underlying prostate disease.

While an occasional urinary tract infection in females is not unusual, frequent urinary tract infection are not normal. In such cases women also need urologic examination and testing such as a renal ultrasound or CT scan to ensure there is no abnormality of the urinary tract causing the infection.

Urinary tract infections, once established, can spread as infected urine refluxes in a retrograde fashion back to the kidneys. When the kidneys become infected, terrible pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and malaise can result. The kidneys may be scarred permanently and suffer a reduced filtering capacity.

The most common and important test for this is the urinalysis. Doctors prefer to examine a clean, midstream sample, which is more representative of the conditions in the bladder. The various chemical markers in urine are tested and may suggest infection. A cell count is performed. If there are large numbers of white blood cells in the urine the diagnosis is easy to confirm. A culture and sensitivity to determine which antibiotics to use usually follows.

Finally, a common misconception is that drinking too many soft drinks can cause a urinary tract infection. While the overconsumption of soft drinks may not be healthy, there is no causative relationship with regards to urinary tract infections. On the contrary, increasing fluid intake during a UTI is a good idea, but water has no sugary calories. As I often quip, the secret to pollution is dilution.

When burning, frequency or pressure are experienced during urination, see your doctor sooner rather than later. Otherwise, what could have been treated with a three-day course of antibiotics may become a hospitalization for a severe kidney infection.