Infections in the urinary tract, also known as UTIs, are very prevalent and may manifest in any area of the urinary system. Symptoms may vary from slight discomfort to severe pain, and they tend to affect women more than males. Your doctor will need to know about your symptoms, do a physical exam, and perhaps run some more tests to identify a UTI.
Common UTI symptoms include:
- An overwhelming desire to urinate repeatedly and quickly
- Discomfort or pain during urinating.
- Having frequent, light urination
- Urine that is cloudy, black, bloody, or odorous
- Aching in the hips, lower back, or belly
- Tiredness, queasiness, and throwing up (in severe cases)
Visit a doctor immediately if you think you may have a UTI.
Your doctor will do a physical examination and ask you questions about your symptoms. They may also collect urine to test for infection-related markers like bacteria and white blood cells. In order to pinpoint the exact bacteria strain causing the illness and choose the most appropriate medication, a urine culture may be taken.
Extra testing may be required to confirm a UTI diagnosis in certain patients. Your doctor may order a urinalysis, ultrasound, or CT scan to rule out other possible causes and assess the severity of the infection in the event of recurring UTIs or other non-typical symptoms.
It's crucial to remember that several types of bacteria may cause UTIs and that the symptoms might vary depending on the kind of bacteria causing the infection.
