UTI definition and epid

Urinary Tract Infection
Definition
A urinary tract infection is an infection of the urinary system. The urinary system is composed of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
The upper urinary tract is composed of the kidneys and ureters. Infection in the upper urinary tract generally affects the kidneys (pyelonephritis), which can cause fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and other severe symptoms.
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). This is more common than upper UTI.
A urinary tract infection limited to your bladder can be painful and annoying. However, serious consequences can occur if a urinary tract infection spreads to your kidneys.
The main cause agent is Escherichia coli. Although urine contains a variety of fluids, salts, and waste products, it does not usually have bacteria in it. When bacteria get into the bladder or kidney and multiply in the urine, they may cause a UTI.
Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine.
In men, it’s usually because of a urinary stone or enlarged prostate -- or from a medical procedure involving a catheter
Antibiotics are the typical treatment for a urinary tract infection. But you can take steps to reduce your chance of getting a urinary tract infection in the first place.
Urinary tract infections are usually referred to as simple or complicated.
Simple infections occur in healthy urinary tracts and do not spread to other parts of the body. They usually go away readily with treatment.
Complicated infections are caused by anatomic abnormalities, spread to other parts of the body, are worsened by underlying medical conditions, or are resistant to many antibiotics. They are more difficult to cure.




Prevalence
Infections of the urinary tract (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection in the body after URTI.
Women are at greater risk of developing a urinary tract infection than are men. The reason for this is not well understood, but anatomic differences between the genders (a shorter urethra in women) might be partially responsible.
The most common type of UTI is acute cystitis often referred to as a bladder infection.
Bladder infections are most common in young women with 10% of women getting an infection yearly
UTIs account for 8.3 million doctor visits each year.
Urinary tract infections are much more common in adults than in children, but about 1%-2% of children do get urinary tract infections. Urinary tract infections in children are more likely to be serious than those in adults and should not be ignored.
Urinary tract infection is the most common urinary tract problem in children besides bedwetting
About 40% of women and 12% of men have a urinary tract infection at some time in their life. UTIs in men are not as common as in women but can be very serious when they do occur.
Mortality related to urinary tract infection is exceedingly rare for otherwise healthy children in developed countries.
Morbidity associated with pyelonephritis is characterized by systemic symptoms, such as fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and dehydration. Bacteremia and clinical sepsis may occur. Children with pyelonephritis also may have cystitis. Long-term complications of pyelonephritis are hypertension, impaired kidney function, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and complications of pregnancy (eg, urinary tract infection, pregnancy-related hypertension, low-birth-weight neonates).