Bladder Infection
Definition
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. The main causitive agent is Escherichia coli. Although urine contains a variety of fluids, salts, and waste products, it usually does not have bacteria in it.[1] When bacteria get 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.
- Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) arises from the cells that line the bladder and is the most common form
- Squamous cell carcinoma also comes from the lining cells, but grow differently than TCC
- Adenocarcinoma, the rarest form, comes from glandular cells in the bladder wall
Symptoms
Not everyone with a UTI has symptoms, but most people get at least some symptoms. It is not unusual to feel bad all over — tired, shaky, washed out — and to feel pain even when not urinating. Often women feel an uncomfortable pressure above the pubic bone, and some men experience a fullness in the rectum. Normally, a UTI does not cause fever if it is in the bladder or urethra. A fever may mean that the infection has reached the kidneys. Other symptoms of a kidney infection include pain in the back or side below the ribs, nausea, or vomiting.
- frequent urge to urinate
- painful, burning feeling in the area of the bladder or urethra during urination
- pain even when not urinating
- Painful urination
- despite the urge to urinate, only a small amount of urine is passed
- The urine itself may look milky or cloudy, even reddish if blood is present
