Infections of the Urinary Tract
The urinary tract is free of Bacterial presence. If however bacterias are discovered on routine examination this fact is called bacteriuria. In an asymptomatic patient this fact usually triggers a diagnostic work up to determine what causes it.
Bacterias that produce toxins and destroy the tissues usually cause symptoms varying in severity.
Painful urination, lower abdominal pain, foul smelling urine, burning during urination with or without increased temperature are usually the symptoms of lower urinary tract infection.
More severe symptoms of protracted high grade fever, diffuse abdominal or flank pain, chills and unstable vital signs require very intense treatment, admission to the Hospital if vital signs are unstable and quick determination of the causing microbe.
In all cases it is important to determine what is the bacteria causing the infection in order to prescribe an effective treatment.
Self medications with over the counter drugs only delays the administration of an effective treatment and creates on many occasions the necessity of administering a second round of medications thus delaying the cure.
The cure is determined by performing after treatment urine cultures demonstrating no presence nor growth of bacterias.