If you have been feeling the urge to pass urine constantly but when you go to the bathroom very little of it comes out, and when it does, it burns and has an offensive smell, then you probably have a urinary tract infection.
A urinary tract infection remains one of the most common infections in the body but just because they are common, that does not mean that they are harmless.
In fact, experts say that they can lead to serious health complications.
Many have belabored the health benefits of drinking water including preventing a UTI, but Dr Fred Murimi, a gynaecologist in Nairobi, says drinking water alone may not be enough to keep UTI at bay.
Dr Murimi explains that a urinary tract is basically the system that makes urine, stores it and transports it out of your body.
“It includes your bladder and your kidneys, as well as the tubes that link them. Infection anywhere within the urinary tract is a UTI and is commonly caused by bacteria,” he says.
Infections to your bladder (where urine is collected before urination) are more common and less serious than those to your kidney. However, bladder infections are only harmless when treated right away.
If they go untreated for long, they can easily infect your kidneys, he says.
“When suffering from a UTI, you will experience a persistent, strong and frequent urge to urinate. Of course people taking liquids frequently and during cold seasons may feel the same. But where a UTI is the culprit, there will be pain in the pelvic area as well,” Dr Murimi explains.
Frequent urination and pain in the pelvic area are the most telling symptoms of a UTI. However, it is important to note that they may not occur hand in hand.
You may experience pain in the pelvic area without the urge to urinate and vice versa.
“Although these kinds of infections have long been associated more with women than men, there is enough evidence to prove that no one is exempt from a UTI. Not even children,” Dr Murimi says.
Statistics have shown that children who delay going to the toilet or those that have fewer bowel movements are at a higher risk of developing UTI.
“However, there are children who develop UTI just because they are prone to. In most cases, UTI in adults does not lead to further health complications.
“In children, they should not be taken lightly. It could be a warning that your child’s urinary tract has some kind of a defect. UTIs can also cause damage to your child kidneys,” Dr Priscilla Mwangi, a paediatrician, explains.
Although studies have shown that everyone is at risk of suffering from UTIs, women are much more vulnerable than men.
Every phase of a woman’s life seem to predispose her to suffering from UTIs as compared to men of any age group.
“Throughout their life, there is an over 50 per cent chance that a woman will suffer from a UTI, at least once,” Dr Murimi says.
Just like in men, when a woman develops a UTI, they are likely to develop another one. Among men, this trend is dangerous.
Dr Murimi explains that among women, it may be due to a variety of reasons, some less serious than others.
“For instance, the tube that connects the bladder to the vagina is shorter in women, making it easy for bacteria causing germs to travel through this tube (urethra) to their bladder, causing an infection,” he says.
Normally, when bacteria enter your body, they are usually removed before they can cause any harm. However, the speed with which they are expelled is determined by various factors, most notably, your immune system.
When bacteria overcome your immune system, affording themselves an opportunity to linger in your body longer, they can cause significant harm.
Dr Mwangi says throughout childhood, girls are four times more likely to have a UTI than boys. UTI is rarer among circumcised boys.
“It is for this reason that UTI should be taken very seriously when it occurs in boys, as well as adult males,” she explains.
Symptoms of UTI among children are broad. A child may experience a burning sensation while urinating, frequent urination or even pain in the lower abdomen just like an adult would.
However, children may also vomit, diarrhoea, have fever and even refuse to eat, hence the need to consult a doctor. Some adults may also experience similar symptoms.
Among infants, the symptoms are much more complicated.
Nonetheless, general symptoms of a UTI resemble those of a person coming down with flu; high fever, fatigue, chills and general body aches.
“Coming back to infection trends along gender lines, when these girls become young women, they find themselves at even higher risk of having a UTI. A good number of them will have begun sexual activity, this in itself is a determining factor,” Dr Murimi says.
“In fact, after sexual intercourse, there is a fairly high number of bacteria in a woman’s urine, but it often clears in about 24 hours,” he adds.
Further, although safe sex is highly recommended, condom use can also increase risk of UTI among women.
Choice of contraceptive is also a determining factor. Using a diaphragm as a birth control method increases your risk for UTI.
A diaphragm slows down the flow of urine giving bacteria time to multiply and find their way into the bladder causing an infection.
Although there are conflicting reports of whether a pregnancy increases risk of UTI, there seems to be consensus that a UTI in a pregnant woman is dangerous since infection can easily travel to the kidney.
Other people more predisposed to UTI include women experiencing menopause due to hormonal changes, men with an enlarged prostate gland and people with kidney stones.
Due to compromised immunity, people with diabetes are also prone to suffer UTI.
Simple preventive measures include taking water frequently, wearing underwear made from cotton fabric, and generally eating a well balanced diet to strengthen your immune system. Often, harmful bacteria are fought by your immune system before it wreaks havoc to your body.
Dr Murimi says it is important to note that UTI is not a sexually transmitted infection. But, there are some sexually transmitted infections that increase risk of UTI.
It is the nature of sexual activity in itself that creates conditions that make women vulnerable to UTI.
For example, a woman who is having sex for the first time is bound to experience some kind of trauma in her vagina, or tear, that can cause conditions that may encourage bacteria to find their way into the bladder.
Among women of reproductive age, about 80 per cent of UTI occur within 24 hours of intercourse. Women who resume sex with increased frequency after a long period of abstinence can easily suffer a UTI.
On preventing a UTI, after using the toilet, women are advised to always wipe from the front to back. Wearing underwear made from cotton fabric as opposed to nylon while also avoiding tight fitting clothes as they trap moisture are also part of the solution.