Urinary tract infections are diseases of the bladder usually caused by bacteria like Escherichia coli. They can affect women, men and children. Typical symptoms of UTIs include pain and burning sensation when urinating, urinary frequency, mild fever and cloudy urine. Hospitalized patients with catheters and immunocompromised individuals are at increased risk of developing a UTI. Infants and children are also prone to infection, especially when they have vesicoutheral reflux. The incidence of transmission during swimming is unclear.
Water and Disease Transmission
Water is an essential element for life, but when it is not disinfected and filtered properly it can be extremely unsafe. This is true for both drinking and pool water. Diarrhea, eye, skin and respiratory infections can be contracted through direct skin contact, swallowing and breathing while swimming in a pool. Less frequently, fatal diseases such as meningoencephalitis can also be caused by freeliving water parasites. Chlorine is an important chemical for pools but it does not kill all infectious agents.
Swimming as a Cause of UTI
According to a study reported in the Physics Review Letters, bacteria with appendages known as flagella are able to swim upstream of a surface in environments such as wet soil or water. This would make the urinary tract a favorable surface for bacteria in a pool. The American Academy of Family Physicians believes that giving up swimming and bathing in a tub to minimize UTIs is merely a myth. A study that used a tracer in bath water failed to detect signficant amounts of the tracer when urine from the bladder was analyzed.
Preventive Measures
Swimming as a cause of UTIs is obviously controversial, but a few simple measures may lower the risk of contracting infections while at the pool. Make sure that the water of the pool you are using meets all regulatory standards for filtering and chemicals. Avoid pools that are too crowded and bathing in water that appears soiled or cloudy. Always shower before getting into the pool and make sure others do too. Change your clothes immediately after swimming. Sitting in a wet suit can irritate your skin around the urethra, possibly increasing the risk of developing a UTI.
Complications and Treatment
If you develop symptoms of a UTI, contact your doctor. If your child was diagnosed with vesiscouretheral reflux and develops a fever higher than 100.4 degrees Farenheit, has foul-smelling urine or cries while urinating, contact your pediatrician immediately. He may decide to take a urine sample via a catheter to confirm a UTI and begin antibiotic treatment as soon as possible. An untreated UTI may lead to acute pyelonephritis that could cause permanent scarring of the kidney tissue.
References
- Center for Disease Control: Recreational Water Illnesses
- "The American Academy of Family Physicians"; Urinary Tract Infections in Children: Why They Occur and How to Prevent Them; Stanley Hellerstein; May 1998
- Cincinnati Children's: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Prevention
- "Physical Review Letters"; Hydrodynamic surface interactions enable Escherichia coli to seek efficient routes to swim upstream; Hill, et al.; February 2007
- "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public health"; Water Microbiology. Bacterial Pathogens and Water; Joao Cabral; October 2010
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