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Complication Of Diabetes UTI

By Tess Thompson

Urinary Tract Infection, (UTI) is a common ailment and can affect people of all ages, sex, and from all cultures. However, there are certain groups of people that are more prone to UTI than others. Women, for example, for reasons yet to be firmly established, carry a greater risk of UTI. Diabetic patients too fall under this category. Going further, pregnant women with diabetes are probably amongst the most vulnerable to UTI.

Diabetic women are at a higher risk of developing to urinary tract infection (UTI) after menopause as compared to non-diabetic women. In fact, a study by University of Washington, Seattle revealed that the risk of UTI in diabetic women was 80% higher than others. UTI in diabetic patients is not only more severe but also is more recurrent as compared to non-diabetic patients.

The sugar content of urine in a diabetic patient provides a breeding ground for bacteria once they enter the bladder. The most serious but rare types of UTI like pyelonephritis, widespread infections, abscesses, inflammation of the bladder wall, occur mostly in diabetic individuals.

The risk of UTI increases with any negative change in the immune system of the body. Diabetes, like many other disorders, affects the immune system, increasing the risk of a urinary tract infection.

Another characteristic of UTI in diabetic patients is that of the risk of presence of asymptomatic (having no symptoms of illness or disease) bacteriuria - presence of bacteria in urine - is much greater than in others. Treating this condition, according to study conducted in 2003, is of little value as it does not prevent complications.

Diabetes may cause conditions of overactive bladder or neurogenic bladder. Whereas, an overactive bladder is common, neurogenic bladder is rare but more a severe condition.

Diabetic men and women commonly face problems like feeling of urinary urgency, incontinence, frequency and getting up at night often to urinate. A severe condition often manifests in the shape of painful urination and retention of urine in the bladder.

Bladder infection treatment in cases of neurogenic bladder involve a urinary tract infection cure with medication targeting better bladder emptying and a course of action called timed urination. Timed urination refers to behavior changes for promoting efficient urination. Occasionally, an insertion of a catheter is necessitated to empty the bladder, if other procedures, including massaging of the lower bladder, do not work with the patient.

For diagnostic purposes, the procedures involved include a check up of the nervous system, x-rays, and evaluation of bladder function.

UTI in diabetic patients can be a traumatic experience leading to complications if not treated in time. Urinary tract infection cure for diabetic patients requires a longer period, lasting from anything between seven to fourteen days, of antibiotic treatment even for uncomplicated infections. In many cases it may have to be accompanied by bladder infection treatment.