What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?
Large numbers of bacteria live in the rectal area and also on your skin. Bacteria may get into the urine from the urethra and travel into the bladder. It may even travel up to the kidney. But no matter how far it goes, bacteria in the urinary tract can cause problems. Just as some people are more prone to colds, some people are more prone to UTIs. Women who have gone through menopause have a change in the lining of the vagina and lose the protective effects of estrogen that decrease the likelihood of UTIs. Postmenopausal women with UTIs may benefit from hormone replacement. Some women are genetically predisposed to UTIs and have urinary tracts that allow bacteria to adhere to it more readily. Sexual intercourse also increases the frequency of UTIs. Women who use diaphragms have also been found to have an increased risk when compared to those using other forms of birth control. Using condoms with spermicidal foam is also known to be associated with an increase in UTIs in women. Women ar
Dr. Harry Mobley: The urinary tract is an enclosed tube, if you will. It has an opening to the body’s surface, and sometimes that is accessible to bacteria. Bacteria get into this normally sterile site and cause inflammation and can persist for days or weeks. What are some of the symptoms? Dr. Mobley: Symptoms would be burning, urgency, and in more serious cases, when the bacteria go up to the kidneys, you’ll get fever and flank pain. Are certain people more prone to them? Dr. Mobley: Women are much more prone to these infections. About half of all women will have one urinary tract infection during their lifetime. Men also get these infections, in a much smaller percentage, usually during the extremes of life – young boys and old men. When do women usually get them? Dr. Mobley: All the time – sexually active women, young girls, pregnant women particularly, and elderly women, throughout their lifetime. Are antibiotics currently the main treatment for urinary tract infections? Dr. Mobley
