Urinary tract infections (UTI) can affect the lower or upper urinary tract. Symptoms vary, depending on which part of the urinary tract is involved. While women get UTIs more often, it can still occur in men, albeit at a lower rate. Your doctor will usually do a workup to find the cause. In women, the standard of diagnosis is a urine culture with isolation of more than 105 bacterial units, whereas in men the standard is isolation of more than 103 bacterial units, according to "The Osler Medical Handbook."
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms
When the infection is in the lower urinary tract, you may notice a variety of symptoms. Common symptoms include pain or burning sensation during urination (dysuria), increased frequency of urination and constant urgent need to urinate, even small amounts. In addition, you might see blood in the urine (hematuria) and even if you can't see it, your doctor will be able to see it with a microscope. In addition, you might notice pain in area in between the bellybutton and genitals (suprapubic area), due to inflammation of the bladder.
Upper Urinary Tract Symptoms
When the infection spreads above the bladder into the ureter and kidneys, the infection is known as upper urinary tract infection, or pyelonephritis. You may notice additional symptoms, such as increasing fatigue, high fever, chills, nausea, pain in your flanks and vomiting.
Complicated Infection
A complicated infection is a UTI that occurs in the presence of risk factors, such as problems with specific parts of the urinary system, which can increases your risk of infection. This includes conditions like an enlarged prostate or UTI originating from the prostatic system according to the March 1999 issue of "American Journal of Medicine." If your prostate is involved, you can expect the standard UTI symptoms in addition to painful ejaculations, pain in the abdomen and groin, and pain in the area of the penis and rectum. If an enlarged prostate is to blame, you can expect symptoms such as increased urination frequency, weak urine stream, constant urge to urinate, and the need to wait for a few seconds before the urine starts to come out of the body.
References
- "The Osler Medical Handbook, 2nd Edition;" Piccini & Nilsson; 2006
- "Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice;" Urinary Tract Infections; D.M. Drekonja, et al.; Jun. 2008
- "American Journal of Medicine;" Prostatitis and Urinary Tract Infection in Men: Whats New; Whats True?; B.A. Lipsky; Mar. 1999
