UTI presents with pain when urinating, a strong and persistent urge to pass urine, cloudiness in urine, strong odor in urine, pelvic pain, colored urine and frequent passing of urine in small quantities (Foxman, 2014.
Presenting with the above symptoms is confirmation for the presence of a UTI. However, in other cases, a similar, yet close disorder named IC (interstitial cystitis) may be present. Both conditions present with fever and chills, colored urine that is cloudy, abnormal frequent urination, itching when urinating and persistent urge to urinate. In order to differentiate UTI from IC, a physician may request for a urine culture. Collecting urine sample using the clean catch approach is also beneficial in differentiating the two and in establishing the presence of an infection (Flores-Mireles, et al., 2015). In this approach, the genital is cleaned and urine is collected midstream using sterile cups. Both diseases however affect one in every four adults with persons over 40 years being at increased risks (Kahn and Lombardi, 2016).
The first intervention for UTI involves monitoring of color change and urinating pattern. The first line treatment for UTI involves the use of antibiotics. The specific drug used depends however on one’s health and diseases’ progression. Diagnosis for UTI is confirmed by performing urine cultures in the laboratory. Imaging of the urinary tract using CT scans or MRI may also reveal presence of infection.
Prescription for treating UTI
Preferred:
TMP-SMX 160/80 mg bid × 3 days
Nitrofurantoin 100 mg bid × 5 days
Fosfomycin trometamol 3g × 1 dose
Alternative:
Ciprofloxacin 250 mg bid × 3 days
Levofloxacin 250 mg bid 3 days
Beta-lactam (cefdnir, cefpodoxime, cefactor) 250 mg × 3days
(Recommendation if resistance is less that 20%)
Overall recommendation:
3-5 days for uncomplicated UTI
7-14 Days for complicated UTI especially among the elderly.
6-12 weeks for men with prostate conditions
Follow up appointment are scheduled upon persistence of symptoms. In a follow up visit, it is important to make a list of symptoms; medications including consumed supplements and inquire for actions to be taken in advance.
References
Flores-Mireles, A. L., Walker, J. N., Caparon, M., & Hultgren, S. J. (2015). Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nature reviews microbiology, 13(5), 269-284.
Foxman, B. (2014). Urinary tract infection syndromes: occurrence, recurrence, bacteriology, risk factors, and disease burden. Infectious disease clinics of North America, 28(1), 1-13.
Kahn, B. S., & Lombardi, T. (2016). Interstitial cystitis: simplified diagnosis and treatment: office- based algorithms are the key to tailoring treatment for individual patients with IC. Contemporary OB/GYN, 61(5), 14-20.
