About Recurrent Urinary Infections

by Louis Cruz

Welcome to my blog! The information in this website is dedicated and applies to all forms of UTI’s. This includes kidney infections, bladder infections, prostate infections and even vaginal infections. The information provided will benefit all forms UTI ‘s. As a past sufferer of Chronic UTI’s I understand how horrible these may be. So I want others to really know how I overcame this problem and how you can too!

You can read my story in the “About” page.

Feel free to sift through our pages and posts and hopefully you will get the information you are looking for.

Recurrent Urinary infections (which include kidney, bladder and prostate) affect on a yearly bases about 8 to 10 million Americans a year! I cannot even imagine how many are affected worldwide. It is a major trouble. It affects more woman than men. I guess in part, this is due to the anatomical differences between woman and men. Woman are more prone to get anal-vaginal cross contamination. Atleast it is easier.

Woman also have a shorter urethra (the part of the urinary tract that connects with the bladder and it is where the urine comes out). UTI is also very common in children under 2 years of age. But it is very rare in boys and young men. Kidney infection itself is also known as “Pyelonephritis”. But as I mentioned before, this blog will not only benefit those suffering from kidney infection but also those who have other forms of UTI such as prostate and bladder infections.

In UTI’s caused by prostatitis the incidence is a little different. About half the men in the United States get prostatitis at some point in their life time. Now, I am not talking about BPH which is an enlargement of the prostate that takes place usually after the age of 50. Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate and can even occur in young men around the age of 30. It is said that there are more visits to the doctor due to this form of UTI than for any other form of prostate problem even prostate cancer.

What applies to kidney infections will mostly apply also to bladder infections and other Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections.

Urinary Tract Anatomy Review

The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, ureter, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys are situated in the upper abdomen a little closer towards the back and are wrapped and cushioned with fat and surrounded with a membrane for its protection. The Kidneys not only eliminate urine but also maintain water and electrolyte balance in the body.

They also work as filters for water soluble substances. The kidney produces the urine which then passes through some narrow little tubes called the ureters. There is one ureter for each kidney. These two little tubes then connect with the bladder. The bladder is a small little sac that usually holds about 50 ml of fluid.

But the bladder can expand to 1500 ml (slightly over quart) of fluid without damaging. Then when you are ready to go the bathroom , the urine will then pass through the urethra. This short tube varies in size in males and females. In men the urethra is about 20 centimeters long while in woman only about 4 to 5 centimeters.

This is one of the reasons why women are more prone to bladder infections, while men will usually get urethritis. Because of this, it is more difficult for the bacteria to travel to the bladder in men. But it still happens.

Anyway, I don’t intend this to be an anatomy course. Just a little overview for you to understand something about the urinary tract.