Urinary Tract Infection

		 Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Although urine contains a 
variety of fluids, salts, and waste products, it usually does not have bacteria in it. When bacteria gets into the bladder or kidney and 
multiply in the urine, they cause a UTI. The most common type of UTI is a bladder infection which is also often called cystitis. Another 
kind of UTI is a kidney infection, known as pyelonephritis, and is much more serious. Although they cause discomfort, urinary tract infections 
can usually be quickly and easily treated with a short course of antibiotics.Studies have shown that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of UTIs 
in infants.


DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAUSES UTI?


	         The figure shows the different stages of a Urinary Tract Infection.





Contents

1. Symptoms

2. Epidemiology
3. Diagnosis

4. Treatment
5. Prevention
6. Problems that can
 
caused UTI
7. Types of UTI
8. Self-Care Tips
9. Medications






Overview

	Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection involving the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. These are the structures that 
urine passes through before being eliminated from the body.

The kidneys are a pair of small organs that lie on either side of the spine at about waist level. They have several important 
   functions in the body, including removing wastes and excess water from the blood and eliminating them as urine. 
The ureter, a narrow tube about 10 inches long, drains urine from each kidney into the bladder. 
The bladder is a small saclike organ that collects and stores urine. When the urine reaches a certain level in the bladder, 
   the muscle lining the bladder contracts to expel the urine. 	
The urethra is a small tube connecting the bladder with the outside of the body. A muscle called the urinary sphincter, 
    located at the junction of the bladder and the urethra, must relax at the same time the bladder contracts to expel urine.

	Any part of this system can become infected. As a rule, the farther up in the urinary tract the infection is located, 
the more serious it is. 

The upper urinary tract is composed of the kidneys and ureters. Infection in the upper urinary tract generally affects the kidneys 
  (pyelonephritis). 
The lower urinary tract consists of the bladder and the urethra. Infection in the lower urinary tract can affect the urethra 
  (urethritis) or the bladder (cystitis).