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Urinary Tract Infection Cures: Treating UTI

By Tess Thompson

Any anomaly in the functioning of the organs of the body that obstructs the smooth flow of urine has the capability to infect the urinary tract. A kidney stone or enlarged prostrate gland in men obstructs the flow of urine leading to urine retention in the bladder. This ultimately goes on to provide a breeding ground for bacteria and cause a UTI.

Some children are born with abnormalities which may lead to an infection in the urinary tract. Baby girls need special care during toilet training so as to minimize the risk of a UTI occurring.

There are external factors too that may lead to a UTI and consequently necessitate urinary tract infection cure or bladder infection treatment. A common source is catheters which are tubes that are inserted into the bladder or urethra of those who are unable to empty the bladder on their own or in critically ill persons.

Some elderly people or those with a nervous system disorder may also require insertions of catheter that may continue for life. Although the hospital staff takes good care regarding sterilization, catheters require constant monitoring, to help ward off infection, which tends to be overlooked in many cases.

A clinical examination and laboratory investigations can establish or rule out UTI very easily. Once the type of UTI has been confirmed it can be easily decided whether a urinary tract infection cure is necessitated or one has to go for a bladder infection cure.

Urinary tract infection cure involves administration of anti bacterial drugs. Most UTI require administration of oral antibiotics. Serious cases of UTI, such as, pyelonephritis - infection of kidneys - necessitate intravenous injections.

Urine tests help in identifying the bacteria responsible for the UTI and a sensitivity test helps the doctor to choose the most effective drug. The physician has a wide variety of drugs to choose from and will consider the medical history and the overall health of the patient before opting for a particular antibiotic.

UTI treatment normally takes a couple of days if it is not complicated with an obstruction or another disorder. To be on the safer side, doctors usually go in for continuation of the antibiotic for a week or two to ensure that the infection has been fully cured.

For those cases of UTI where infection has been caused by Mycoplasma or Chlamydia, kidney infections, diabetic patients, and patients with structural abnormalities, the strategy changes from a single dose to a prolonged treatment.

It is imperative that follow up tests be done to ensure that the urinary tract infection cure has been successful or not because in most cases the symptoms vanish before the infection is fully cured.