Antibiotics successfully treat urinary tract infections, in most cases. On rare occasions surgery may be necessary, although normally only when an obstruction is involved. UTIs can occur at any point along the urinary tract system, an area that includes the kidneys, bladder, urethra and sphincter. Someone with a UTI may experience symptoms of pain, blood-tinted urine or increased urination. UTIs are very common, accounting for 7 million physician visits each year, mostly by premenopausal women.
Analgesics
A person with a UTI may experience pain or a burning sensation while urinating. To help ease this symptom, a physician may prescribe an analgesic, or pain medication. Phenazopyridine hydrochloride is a commonly prescribed analgesic for UTIs. The pills are available in 100 mg and 200 mg doses and usually taken for no more than two or three days. Also known by the brand name Pyridium, phenazopyridine hydrochloride should only be taken in conjunction with antibiotics.
Antibiotics
To treat UTIs, physicians have an arsenal of antibiotics from which to choose. Penicillins, usually amoxicillin or ampicillin, are often the first defense and typically prescribed in 10-day doses. A physician may choose to prescribe a 3-day treatment of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, which has fewer side effects. Other antibiotics used to treat UTIs include nitrofurantoin, levofloxacin and ofloxacin. A single dosage of fosfomycin trometamol can be safely used by pregnant women and is just as effective as the longer treatments.
Frequent Infections
Women who have had three or more UTIs are likely to get reinfected. Because of this, doctors suggest that female patients with recurring UTIs take a dosage of antibiotics after each sexual encounter. A physician may also advise a patient with recurring UTIs to take a continuous, low-dose course of antibiotics for at least six months. A patient with recurring UTIs should also consider increasing fluid intake, drinking cranberry juice and forgoing baths in favor of showers.
Serious Infections
About 25 percent of UTI cases are caused by a resistant strain of e coli bacteria and do not respond to typical antibiotics. In these cases, a physician may prescribe an intravenous solution of antibiotics. Doripenem monohydrate, tobramycin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, gentamicin or amikacin are used to treat the most serious cases of UTIs.
Surgery
On rare occasions, an obstruction such as a kidney stone may be the source of a UTI. Kidney stones form when tiny crystals mass and become lodged in the urethra. Tumors can also cause UTIs. In men, an enlarged prostate may be the source of the problem. In women, the UTI can be caused by a prolapsed uterus, when the organ protrudes outside the body. In the case of an obstruction or blockage, surgery may be the only recourse.
References
- "Urology"; Practical Management of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Premenopausal Women; J. Curtis Nickel, MD; January 2005
- "International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents"; Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Pregnancy; Silvester Krcmery, M.D.; April 2001
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: UTIs in Adults
- University of Maryland Medical Center: UTI Medications
