Urinary Tract Infections

The urinary tract is a system in your body responsible for producing, storing, and eliminating urine. It includes several key parts:

• • Kidneys: These filter waste and excess fluids from your blood to produce urine.
  • Ureters: Tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
  • Bladder: A sac-like organ that stores urine until it’s ready to be expelled.
  • Urethra: The tube through which urine leaves your body from the bladder.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection of the bladder (cystitis). Cystitis can spread to involve other organs in the urinary tract, including the kidneys (pyelonephritis), prostate (prostatitis), and testes (orchitis).

UTI’s are relatively common in women. When they occur three or more times per year, they are considered recurrent UTIs. Recurrent UTIs may warrant investigation or treatment.

UTI’s in men are uncommon and are often a sign of a problem with the urinary tract. Male UTI’s may warrant investigation or treatment.

Urinary tract infections are diagnosed by doing a test on a urine sample to look for bacteria.