Urinary tract infections remain rampant among individuals of different ages and sexes worldwide. Actually, there is a good chance you’ve come across a person suffering from urinary tract infection. Maybe you’ve had to battle urinary tract infection at some point in your life.

Regardless, it is essential to have a clear insight what this infection entails and how you can prevent it in the future. Well, a urinary tract infection is an infection in any part of the urinary system. This includes the ureters, kidneys, bladder and urethra. Most infections involve the lower urinary tract i.e. the bladder and the urethra.

You may be surprised to learn that women are a greater risk of developing a urinary tract infection compared to men. If an infection is limited to the bladder, it can be painful and annoying. However, serious health problems can result is a urinary tract infection spreads to the kidneys.

Surprisingly, urinary tract infections don’t always cause symptoms. But when they do, they may include a strong urge to urinate that doesn’t go away, a burning feeling when urinating, urinating often, and passing small amounts of urine, and urine that looks cloudy. You may also contend with strong-smelling urine, urine that appears red, bright pink, or cola-colored and pelvic pain, in women.

A urinary tract infection typically occurs when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the urethra and start to spread in the bladder. While the urinary system is designed to keep out bacteria, sometimes the defenses simply fail. When this happens, bacteria may take hold and grow into a full-blown infection in the urinary tract.

One notable type of urinary tract infection in women you should know about is infection of the bladder. This type of urinary tract infection is usually caused by Escherichia coli, a type of bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract. But sometimes other bacteria are behind this urinary tract infection.

Another type of urinary tract infection worth mentioning is infection of the urethra. This type of UTI can occur when GI bacteria spread from the anus to the urethra. An infection of the urethra can also be caused by sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia, and mycoplasma. This can happen because women’s urethras are close to the vagina.

Be sure to research more about the different urinary tract infections to keep them at bay without strain.