Urinary Tract Infection Adults
Causes of UTIs
Source: NHS
In this topic (6)
UTIs occur when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria. In most cases, bacteria from the gut enter the urinary tract through the urethra.
This may occur when wiping your bottom or having sex, for example, but often it's not clear why it happens.
The following may increase your risk of getting a UTI:
- conditions that obstruct your urinary tract, such as kidney stones
- difficulty emptying your bladder fully
- using a contraceptive diaphragm or condoms coated in spermicide
- diabetes
- a weak immune system from chemotherapy or HIV , for example
- a urinary catheter (a tube in your bladder used to drain urine)
- an enlarged prostate gland in men
Women may be more likely to get UTIs because their urethra is shorter than a man's and is closer to their anus (back passage).
Articles for Urinary Tract Infection Adults
Causes of UTIs
UTIs occur when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria. In most cases, bacteria from the gut enter the urinary tract through the urethra. This may occur when wipi
Introduction
Find out about urinary tract infections (UTIs), including what the symptoms are, when to get medical advice and how they're treated.
Preventing UTIs
If you get UTIs frequently, there are some things you can try that may stop it coming back. However, it's not clear how effective most of these measures are. These measures include: avoiding p
Symptoms of UTIs
Infections of the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body) are known as lower UTIs. These can cause: a need to pee more often than usual pain or
Treatment for UTIs
UTIs are normally treated with a short course of antibiotics. Most women are given a three-day course of antibiotic capsules or tablets. Men, pregnant women and people with more serious sym
When to get medical advice
It's a good idea to see your GP if you think you might have a UTI, particularly if: you have symptoms of an upper UTI (see above) the symptoms are severe or getting worse the symptoms haven't
