Do men get urinary tract infections?
Although urinary tract infections (UTIs) are not nearly as common in younger men as they are in women, men can certainly be affected. Strictly speaking, a UTI is an infection of the urinary tract itself (ureters, kidney, bladder), but men are actually most often diagnosed with an infection of the prostate gland, called prostatitis. Most UTIs happen as a result of infectious organisms gaining access to the urinary tract through the external opening of the urethra. Infection then spreads upwards along the urinary tract. Most of the culprits causing UTIs are normal inhabitants of the bowel, with the bacterium, E.coli, being the most common cause. Some symptoms that might suggest a UTI include pain in the pubic area, discomfort or burning on urination and increased frequency of urination. If the infection has spread as far as the kidney or into the prostate, more symptoms might result such as back pain, fever or chills. If you experience this latter set of symptoms, seek immediate medical
