What are the symptoms of urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infection is very harmful to human health. It often leads to a variety of symptoms and diseases. For example, it is easy to cause urethritis, which can cause symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, pain and delay in urination. In severe cases, it can also cause urinary retention and cystitis, induce kidney function decline, and cause acute and chronic pyelonephritis. At this time, some serious complications are prone to occur.

1. Urethritis

In male patients, acute urethritis is mainly characterized by more urethral secretions, which are mucous at first and gradually become purulent. Secretions are rare in the female urethra. Both men and women experience burning pain in the urethra, frequent urination, and urgency when urinating, and urine examination shows pus cells and red blood cells. The secretion of chronic urethritis gradually decreases, or only a small amount of serous secretion can be seen near the urethral opening during the first urination in the early morning. The urination irritation symptoms are no longer as obvious as in the acute phase, and some patients may be asymptomatic.

2. Cystitis

(A) Acute cystitis

Acute cystitis can occur suddenly or slowly, with burning pain in the urethra during urination, frequent urination, often accompanied by urgency, and in severe cases similar to urinary incontinence. The frequency and urgency of urination are particularly obvious, reaching 5-6 times per hour or more, with little urine volume each time, even only a few drops, and lower abdominal pain at the end of urination. The urine is cloudy and contains pus cells and sometimes hematuria. Systemic symptoms are mild or absent, and some patients feel fatigued. Acute cystitis that occurs in women after their wedding is called honeymoon cystitis. Acute cystitis has a short course. If treated promptly, the symptoms will disappear in about a week.

(ii) Chronic cystitis

Bladder irritation symptoms persist and recur, but are not as severe as in the acute phase, and there are small or moderate amounts of pus cells and red blood cells in the urine. Most of these patients have a history of acute cystitis, and are accompanied by stones, deformities or other obstructive factors. Therefore, it is not simple cystitis and further examination should be performed to clarify the cause.

3. Pyelonephritis

(A) Acute pyelonephritis

Acute pyelonephritis is an active suppurative infection, often with three groups of clinical manifestations: systemic and local symptoms and local signs.

1. Most systemic symptoms have an acute onset, with chills, fever, general fatigue and weakness, loss of appetite, accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and pain, and increased neutrophil count in the blood. They are easily misdiagnosed as acute abdomen such as acute cholecystitis or acute appendicitis.

2. Local symptoms Most patients have unilateral or bilateral low back pain, which is characterized by distension or soreness. In severe cases, the pain may radiate to the affected abdomen, perineum and inner thigh. Because pyelonephritis is often accompanied by cystitis, bladder irritation symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency, and pain when urinating may occur, as well as lower abdominal pain or discomfort. The urine is turbid and there is occasional blood in the urine.