What is a chronic urinary tract infection?
Chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections of the urinary tract that either don’t respond to treatment or keep recurring. They may either continue to affect your urinary tract despite getting the right treatment, or they may recur after treatment.
Your urinary tract is the pathway that makes up your urinary system. It includes the following:
- Your kidneys filter your blood and generate body waste in the form of urine.
- Your ureters are tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
- Your bladder collects and stores urine.
- Your urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of your body.
A UTI can affect any part of your urinary system. When an infection only affects your bladder, it’s usually a minor illness that can be easily treated. However, if it spreads to your kidneys, you may suffer from serious health consequences, and may even need to be hospitalized.
Although UTIs can happen to anyone at any age, they’re more prevalent in women. In fact, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) estimates that 1 in 5 young adult women have recurring UTIs.
What are the symptoms of a chronic urinary tract infection?
The symptoms of a chronic UTI affecting your bladder include:
- frequent urination
- bloody or dark urine
- a burning sensation while urinating
- pain in your kidneys, which means in your lower back or below your ribs
- pain in your bladder region
If the UTI spreads to your kidneys, it might cause:
- nausea
- vomiting
- chills
- a high fever, over 101°F (38°C)
- fatigue
- mental disorientation
What are the causes of chronic urinary tract infections?
A UTI is the result of a bacterial infection. In most cases, the bacteria enter the urinary system through the urethra, and then they multiply in the bladder. It’s helpful to break down UTIs into bladder and urethral infections to better understand how they develop.
Bladder infections
The bacteria E. coliis a common cause of infections of the bladder, or cystitis. E. coli normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. In its normal state, it doesn’t cause any problems. However, if it finds its way out of the intestines and into the urinary tract, it can lead to infection.
This usually happens when tiny or even microscopic bits of feces get into the urinary tract. This might happen during sex. For example, this can happen if you switch between anal and vaginal sex without cleaning in between. Anal sex increases your UTI risk significantly. Bladder infections can also develop from toilet water backsplash or by improper wiping. Foamy urine can also signal an issue.
Urethral infections
Also known as urethritis, infections of the urethra could be due to bacteria such as E. coli. Urethritis can also be the result of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), however, this is rare. STIs include:
- herpes
- gonorrhea
- chlamydia