UTI Myths and Misconceptions

Think of the last time you prescribed antibiotics to a patient for suspected UTI – what convinced you that they had a UTI? Was it their story? Their exam? Or was it the urine dip results the nurse handed to you before you saw them? Does a patient’s indwelling catheter distort the urinalysis? How many WBCs/hpf is enough WBCs to call it a UTI? Can culture results be trusted if there are epithelial cells in the specimen? Can a “dirty” urine in an obtunded elderly patient help guide management?…

  UTI’ an overused diagnosis in the era of the microbiome

An evolving understanding of urinary tract infections has led one expert to describe them as an “ambiguous, expansive, overused diagnosis” that can lead to the myriad harms of antibiotic overtreatment.

  Urinary catheters – not just uncomfortable but dangerous too

The traditional indwelling, or Foley, catheter remains in place for up to three months and is attached to a collection bag. One in four patients get an indwelling catheter during a hospital stay, often unnecessarily. Use of a catheter is also beset by issues of infection — almost all long-term catheterised patients have bacteriuria (bacteria in the urine) after a month. These urinary tract infections are the most common infections caught in a hospital. They result in longer hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, overuse of antibiotics, pain for patients and an increased risk of death. Around three-quarters of infections are because of catheter use.

 Do Natural Treatments Really Work for UTIs? The Experts Weigh In

Want a fast fact to bust out at your next party? Forty percent of women will get a urinary tract infection (UTI) at some point in their lives. Fun, right? OK, nothing involving urine and tracts will ever be a particularly fun point of conversation, but it’s worth knowing the ins and outs of this incredibly common ailment. Especially since 20 percent of women who get a UTI will get another one.

 Here’s Why You Should Always Wipe Front-to-Back

You might theoretically know that “always wipe front-to-back” should be drilled into your brain as a basic tenet of good personal hygiene, right alongside chores like brushing your teeth every morning and night and taking off your makeup before bed. But if you don’t understand why wiping front-to-back is so important, it can be easy to shrug off this advice and wipe however you damn well please. It’s actually crucial that you wipe front-to-back each and every time you go to the bathroom. Here’s why.

 How To Tell The Difference Between An STI and UTI, According to Experts

Most of us briefly learned about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) in high school health, but probably weren’t clued in to how common both these kinds of infections are — and how similarly they can feel.

 MY APPROACH to UTIs in Women

We recommend the most inexpensive narrow-spectrum antibiotic; nitrofurantoin is my favorite. It’s been around for 40 or 50 years. There hasn’t been a lot of resistance developing to it at all. It concentrates in the urine; the half-life in the blood is only 20 minutes. Patients tend not to get vaginal yeast infections from it, and it remains very effective. Other antibiotics that are okay are trimethoprim or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for first-time infections. There is a lot of resistance to ampicillin and amoxicillin, so we don’t generally use the penicillins.

 Scientists Make A Smartphone App Test That Diagnoses Urinary Tract Infections In One Hour

A new smartphone app and and lab kit can identify urinary tract infections (UTI) in an hour, with remarkable detail. The app, from UCSB researcher Michael Mahan's and Stanford’s Tom Soh’s teams, can give surprising detail with which to guide therapy as well. At least half of women will develop a urinary tract infection (UTI) during their life. UTIs account for 25% of the cases of sepsis, and sepsis is a major cause of death, higher than heart attacks, diabetes, or breast cancer.

 Sex Causes UTI? We’re Breaking Down Some Myths

Many would associate UTI solely on sexual interaction when really, it’s not just that. We’re now here to give you insight on what really causes this and also debunk some of the myths that you may have been told. Most especially since women are at greater risk of it. So educate yourselves and keep reading.

 Silently Suffering From Recurrent UTIs? This Entrepreneur Is Out To End The Stigma

We rarely discuss this, but a urinary tract infection can be incredibly disruptive to your workday. UTIs are the second most common infection in the US, and over 50% of women get them, but millions suffer silently, largely due to the stigma around UTIs.

 This Is Why You Keep Getting UTIs After Sex

The burning sensation. The lower-belly pain. The cloudy, odorous, or blood-tinged urine. And, lest we forget, the sprinting to the bathroom every few minutes, feeling like you’re going to pee your pants, only to eke out the littlest bit of urine. All of these things can creep up a day or two after having sex and are the telltale signs of a urinary tract infection. UTIs are familiar to many people — about 150 million people worldwide every year, in fact, making them one of the most common bacterial infections. However, some of the common advice we hear about them, including making sure to pee after sex, isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections, Drink Up

Women who drank more water got fewer U.T.I.s, a randomized trial confirmed.

 Why Online UTI and Endometriosis Communities Are a Godsend for Many Women

These forums and the homespun cures they prescribe will and should continue until health professionals recognize their failings and acknowledge that sometimes, the patient may actually know her own body better than the practitioner.

 Your UTI keeps coming back because we use too many antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is making your UTI harder to treat.

 ‘UTI’ an overused diagnosis in the era of the microbiome

An evolving understanding of urinary tract infections has led one expert to describe them as an “ambiguous, expansive, overused diagnosis” that can lead to the myriad harms of antibiotic overtreatment.

The ABC's of UTI's

So you're scurrying back and forth to the bathroom and it definitely burns when you pee. It's the worst. What is going on? A strong (and never-ending!) urge to urinate could indicate that you have a urinary tract infection (UTI). Whether you've had a UTI before, you're experiencing one for the first time (we are so sorry), or you're just curious in general, we're here to give you the basics on UTIs. Let's go!

The Cure for UTIs? It’s Not Cranberries

This purported remedy is centuries old and there is a considerable amount of research investigating it. While some studies suggest that cranberry may reduce repeated infections in younger women, it is certainly not a treatment for an active case. The gold standard for treatment is antibiotics. Sometimes doctors just recommend rest and ibuprofen.

Urinary Tract Infection: What You Should and Should Not Eat

Have you had a UTI? What’s worked for you?

Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a severe public health problem and are caused by a range of pathogens, but most commonly by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus.

Cranberries can’t cure UTIs, and other good reasons to publish negative research results

Cranberries, the little red berries from North America, are not effective for curing urinary tract infections. This piece of information is bound to disappoint the women who have been swallowing cranberry capsules for years in the hope that it was. But, alas, this is what science shows.

Elderly Urinary Tract Infections: Symptoms & Care

If a 30-year-old woman experiences painful burning when she urinates, it's almost certain she has a urinary tract infection (UTI). But an elderly urinary tract infection rarely causes such clear symptoms and might not involve pain or discomfort at all.

Everything you ever wanted to know about urinary tract infections

Millions of women suffer from UTIs, but they can strike men too. So why are most tests not up to the job? And should we be reaching for the cranberry juice?

Health Check: what can your doctor tell from your urine?

The most common reason for analysing urine is to identify a bacterial infection in your urinary tract, your body’s drainage system for removing urine. Urinary tract infections are particularly common in women, affecting almost 50% in their lifetime.

Holding Your Pee: Health Risks From Ignoring Nature's Call

"The longer you hold your urine, the bladder can become a breeding ground for bacteria to grow," Dr. Bali says. This bacteria can lead to infections, which can spread to kidneys and cause greater damage to the body.

How To Know If You Have A UTI, In One Chart

Urinary tract infections are the bane of women (and some men!) everywhere. If you’ve ever had one, you understand the horrifying feeling of urgently having to pee and not being able to, of weird-smelling or cloudy urine and a painful burning sensation while you go.

Monday’s medical myth: cranberry juice prevents bladder infections

A 2009 Cochrane Library systematic review, which independently analysed all the available evidence, noted that there was some evidence that cranberry products might work, but it wasn’t clear what the “optimum dosage or method or administration” was. This review was updated in October 2012 with the inclusion of newer and larger studies. Disappointingly, this revised appraisal of the empirical evidence seems to suggest that cranberry does not reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of UTIs in women. I doubt that we have heard the last word on cranberry

New Push to Stop Overuse of Antibiotics in Nursing Homes

One of the biggest culprits, researchers say: misdiagnosed urinary tract infections. Only a quarter to a third of people in nursing homes who are diagnosed have actual symptoms, according to several studies. Most have only vague symptoms like confusion or bacteria in their urine that aren’t actually causing an infection, says David Nace, director of long-term care and flu programs at the University of Pittsburgh. UTIs are “the poster child of inappropriate antibiotic use,” he says.

The Many Urinary-Tract Infections of Lena Dunham

Urinary-tract infections have no greater publicity agent than Lena Dunham. The Girls producer and feminist-about-town has made much of her ongoing struggles with the condition that makes a routine bathroom trip feel “like pissing porcupines,” turning everyday interviews and writing projects into teachable moments for bladders and urethras everywhere.

The New Culprit For UTIs — And How To Fight It

UTIs occur when gastrointestinal bacteria move into the urinary tract, and research suggests that some of those bacteria are being introduced to the gut from food contaminated with strains of E. coli — a type of infection known as a foodborne UTI, or FUTI. Because these kinds of E. coli don’t cause gastrointestinal illness, you can have them without the symptoms typically associated with food poisoning.

The New Superbug was Found in a UTI and That's Key

Urinary tract infections are damn common—annoyingly common if you ask many women. And antibiotic resistant UTIs are on the rise...

Urinary Tract Infections & Spinal Cord Injuries

Because of your spinal cord injury and the fact that you must use an indwelling catheter, you will always have bacteria in your urine.

Where the Fuck Is Our UTI Vaccine?

A new study suggests we may have found a way to get rid of urinary tract infections without antibiotics. But don't get your hopes up: We talked to a UTI researcher about why, despite widespread demand for a cure, the stinging and burning persist.

Why it can feel like you have a UTI when you don’t

My doctors were at a loss for why I would have UTI-like symptoms if it wasn’t an infection. But as it turns out, many women feel like they have persistent UTIs without a positive urine culture, says Dr. Christina E. Lewicky Gaupp, a urogynecology and pelvic reconstructive surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She explains that there are several other possible conditions that cause UTI-like symptoms, like pelvic floor dysfunction and dehydration.

Why You Should Never Ignore a UTI

Whether you've had a UTI yourself (in which case, we feel you, girl...not fun) or you're one of the lucky few who have only heard the horror stories, knowing how to handle a urinary tract infection can be the difference between a couple days of discomfort and a major medical emergency.