Tracking tract infection

A bladder infection is often painful and annoying, and it can become a significant illness if the infection spreads to the kidneys, writes Dr Dilip Dhanpal

Bladder infections are the foremost common form of tract infection, but any part of the tract can become infected by the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys. UTI is more likely to happen to a person depending on one’s age, habits, and health conditions. The bladder is a hollow muscular organ that’s located within the pelvis. The bladder has two functions, one is to store urine and the other is to release the urine. Urine drains from the kidneys, down the ureters one on both sides of the body, and into the bladder. A bladder infection is often painful and annoying, and it can become a significant illness if the infection spreads to the kidneys.

Cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder. Most of the time, the inflammation is caused by a bacterial infection, and it’s called a urinary tract infection (UTI). Some of the common symptoms of bladder infection in adults include pain, discomfort, cloudy urine, blood in urine, and burning when trying to urinate.

Here are some common causes of infection:

Bacterial infection: It’s a typical reason behind bladder infection and bacterial infection occurs when bacteria enter the body, increase in number, and cause a reaction within the body. Bacteria can enter the bladder through a very minor gap in the skin, like a cut or a surgical wound, or through the airway and cause infections.

Yeast infection: Yeast infections usually cause pain and itching of the genitals and a thick, curd-like discharge, and therefore the most typical symptoms are a pain when urinating, burning, itching, and swelling of the vagina and vulva, and thick, white discharge that has no odour, and more.

Virus infection: BK virus, adenovirus, and cytomegalovirus are predominant pathogens involved in haemorrhagic cystitis after vegetative cell and solid organ transplantation. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent significant morbidity of haemorrhagic cystitis. Some of the symptoms of virus infections are pelvic pain in women, burning sensation, increased urgency of urination, and more.

Some treatments & remedies:

Drink more water: One of the primary things an individual can do, while having a bladder infection is to drink lots of water. That’s because drinking water can help flush away the bacteria that cause the infection. It helps to flush out the bacteria within the bladder, which helps obviate the infection faster. It also dilutes the urine, so urinating could also be less painful.

Frequent urination: Frequent urination helps eliminate the infection by moving bacteria out of the bladder. Holding urination, and not visiting the toilet when must, allows the bacteria to continue multiplying within the bladder.

Antibiotics: Antibiotics will help in killing the bacteria that cause a bladder infection. A bladder infection usually needs medication to eliminate the germ causing the infection. Experts recommend treating bladder infections with antibiotics.

It may take ages to prevent bladder infection in the future. To stop the infection within the bladder, it is suggested to drink 6-7 litres of water per day, wear cotton undergarments, urinate as soon as possible, and wipe the front and back after urinating. Doing little things can prevent bladder infections within the body. Consult a doctor before the symptoms get severe.

(The author is a consultant urologist & andrologist.)