The heavy demands of life and work pressure have taken a toll on men’s physical health, with many men suffering from urethral infections. Urethral infection diseases are caused by infections in different parts. Due to their recurrent nature, the prognosis and treatment plans vary, so it is important to differentiate between upper and lower urinary tract infections to determine the location of the urinary tract infection.
There are multiple causes of urethral infections in men. The main cause of urethral infection is infection, and the causes of infection are varied. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, as well as tuberculosis, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis infections, among others. Specifically, the main reasons for male urethral infections include the following:
1. Urinary tract obstruction: When a urinary tract obstruction occurs, it can lead to difficulty in urination, allowing bacteria in the bladder to multiply due to inefficient clearance, leading to a significant increase in bacteria in the bladder. Moreover, the upper urinary tract tissues above the urinary tract obstruction area, due to increased pressure, affect their local blood circulation, reducing the mucosal infection resistance, making urethral infection more likely.
2. Instrumental procedures in the bladder: Such as cystoscopy, catheterization, or indwelling catheterization, performed by some doctors in unprofessional medical settings can cause upper urinary tract infections.
3. Congenital abnormalities or urinary dysfunction: People with incomplete kidney development, polycystic kidneys, ureteral malformations, or vesicoureteral reflux (an abnormal phenomenon where urine flows back from the bladder to the kidney pelvis during urination) are prone to urethral infections.
4. Abuse of analgesic antipyretic drugs such as phenacetin: This can lead to renal papillary necrosis, which can impair the kidney’s defense function and lead to urethral infections.
5. Other causes of urethral infections.
Men should remember to seek timely treatment for urethral infections. Many urinary infection diseases exhibit symptoms of urethral infections. However, due to insufficient understanding of this issue, some individuals make erroneous judgments when they experience discomfort, leading to unnecessary harm. What are the symptoms of urethral infections?
1. Urinary irritation signs, such as frequent urination, urgency, dysuria, and discomfort during urination. These symptoms vary in severity among different patients. Acute phase inflammatory patients often exhibit significant urinary irritation signs, while elderly individuals, children, and patients with chronic urinary tract infections usually have milder urinary irritation symptoms such as mild frequency, urgency, or discomfort during urination.
2. Urinary tract infection clinical manifestations are diverse. Depending on the site of infection, urinary tract infections can be categorized as pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis; based on the presence of urinary tract functionality or organic abnormalities, there are complex and non-complex urinary tract infections; based on the nature of inflammation, urinary tract infections can be further divided into acute and chronic.
3. Systemic toxic symptoms, such as fever, chills, headaches, are mainly seen in upper urinary tract infection patients, especially in acute urinary tract infections and patients with urinary tract obstruction; urinalysis may show white blood cells, red blood cells or proteins; blood tests may reveal elevated white blood cells; positive urine bacterial cultures.
Understanding the symptoms of urethral infections is beneficial for individuals to understand the cause of discomfort when suffering from urinary infection diseases, encouraging friends and patients to seek medical attention promptly, which can be helpful in both treatment and disease progression control.
Men should guard against urinary tract infections meticulously. Among urinary tract diseases, urinary tract infections are the most common. To prevent them, it is essential to guard the “three lines of defense.”
The first line of defense is maintaining a healthy life to avoid pathogens.
At just 30 years old, Xiaoliu has been quite healthy but recently started having frequent urges to urinate, feeling burning urination, with a temperature of 38.6℃. Alarmed, she rushed to the hospital. After inquiring about her situation, the doctor learned that Xiaoliu, who works as a secretary, rarely drinks water due to her busy work schedule, enjoys spicy foods like hot pot, and wears tight silk underwear. Combined with urine test results, the doctor diagnosed Xiaoliu with “acute lower urinary tract infection.”
Assessing her condition, the doctor explained that the human urinary tract (urinary tract) consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, and the normal human urethral opening is surrounded by bacteria, although not all bacteria entering the bladder will cause infections. However, low water intake and frequent urine retention prevent bacteria from being flushed out promptly. Also, the female urethra is naturally short, with the urethral opening close to the anus, making it easy for bacteria to invade the urethra. compounded by tight innerwear causing local temperature rise, bacteria can easily accumulate and replicate in the urinary tract, leading to urinary tract infections. Research has shown that individuals with poor urine flow have a 12-fold higher risk of developing urinary tract infections.
Upon reflection, almost everyone has experienced urine retention occasionally, which is not seriously impactful if bladder pressure is not excessive. However, professions like taxi drivers, white-collar women, due to stressful work schedules and poor restroom hygiene, often develop habits of low water intake and urine retention, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections.
To prevent urinary tract infections, the first step is to avoid unhealthy habits and maintain the first line of defense. Regarding urinary tract infections, the renowned Mayo Clinic in the United States offers two recommendations:
1. Drink plenty of water and avoid holding urine. Drinking plenty of water can dilute urine and flush the urinary tract. However, avoid consuming coffee, alcoholic beverages, or drinks containing caffeine or fruit juices during urinary tract infections, as these drinks can stimulate the bladder, causing frequent urination.
2. Maintain good hygiene habits. Women should wipe with clean toilet paper after bowel movements, wiping from front to back to avoid contaminating the vagina. If there is a bidet in the restroom, ensure thorough cleansing of the anal area. Avoid unhygienic sexual practices and urinate immediately after intercourse. This practice can help expel bacteria from the urethra and bladder via urination.
Also, it’s best to avoid tight-fitting clothing such as jeans, tight underwear, etc. Women should refrain from using products that are irritating to the urethra. Individuals with urinary tract infections can also apply a hot water bottle to the lower abdomen, which helps alleviate bladder pressure and discomfort.
The second line of defense is controlling chronic diseases to boost immunity.
Besides good habits, avoiding urinary tract infections requires staying away from chronic diseases and securing the second line of defense. The urinary tract is interconnected with surrounding tissues and functions, meaning disturbances in other organs can increase the risk of urinary tract infections.
Firstly, systemic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and chronic diarrhea lower the body’s resistance, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections. For instance, diabetes disrupts endocrine balance, weakening the body’s defense and elevating the risk of various infections, with the urinary tract infection rate reaching 16%-35% globally.
Furthermore, urinary tract obstructions from various causes are a direct cause of urinary tract infections. Conditions such as ureteral and kidney stones, urethral strictures, enlarged prostate can lead to urinary retention, facilitating bacterial reproduction and infection. Notably, urinary tract infections stemming from lower urinary tract obstructions are more common. Studies show that individuals with urinary tract obstructions have over 10 times higher rates of urinary tract infections than those without obstructions.
Additionally, urethral damage itself can lead to infections. Recent procedures like urinary catheterization, cystoscopy, urological surgeries cause local mucosal damage, introducing pathogenic bacteria to the bladder and upper urinary tract, leading to infections.
Particularly in the elderly, with age-related decline in defense mechanisms and hormonal changes causing urinary tract obstructions, vesical-ureteral reflux, renal blood vessel hardening, etc., reducing the body’s protective capabilities towards the genitourinary system. Post-menopausal women exhibit decreased estrogen secretion, leading to atrophy, thinning of vaginal, urethral, and bladder tissues, resulting in difficulties urinating, urgency, and urinary infections. For elderly men, prostate enlargement increases the risk of obstruction and infections, diminishing gender differences in urinary tract infections.
When should one be alert for urinary tract infections? The US Women’s Health Information Center summarizes the five most common warning signs, urging individuals to seek medical attention promptly if they experience the following symptoms: 1. Frequent urination, urgency, strong urge to urinate followed by minimal output; 2. Painful urination, burning sensation during urination; 3. Lower abdominal discomfort; 4. Foul-smelling, cloudy, or bloody urine; 5. Fatigue, fever, chills.
The third line of defense is standardized treatment to minimize recurrence.
If one accidentally contracts a urinary tract infection, there’s no need to panic; with timely and standardized treatment, most cases can be cured. However, individuals who have had a urinary tract infection are significantly more prone to reinfection than those who haven’t. Thus, preventing recurrence demands upholding the third line of defense.
Initially, urinary tract infections may have subtle or no symptoms, causing individuals to overlook them. Many women discover their infections due to bacterial spread, leading to vaginitis, cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, etc.
Hence, be vigilant if you experience frequent urination, urgency, pain during urination, chills, fever, or back pain, particularly for women with increased vaginal discharge, swollen urethral opening, purulent discharge, vaginal and external vaginal itching, suggesting upper infections. Chronic genitourinary inflammations can lead to various complications: men might experience complications like epididymitis, orchitis, prostatitis, vesiculitis, epididymal nodules, reduced sperm quantity and quality; women might suffer from vaginitis, cervicitis, salpingitis, endometritis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, etc.
When experiencing these symptoms, seek timely medical attention from a reputable hospital. It’s worth noting that some patients, upon feeling their symptoms have subsided during treatment, discontinue medication, resulting in recurring infections. Therefore, it is emphasized that treating urinary tract infections must adhere to medical advice, persisting with timely, sufficient doses, and full treatment courses, avoiding premature medication cessation. Otherwise, recurring urinary tract infections are likely.
“Timely” implies promptly diagnosing and treating the disease. After diagnosing urinary tract infections, most patients are initially prescribed sensitive antibiotics against common pathogens. Before determining the specific pathogen species, quinolones, penicillins, aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, etc., can be used, subsequently adjusting medication based on urine culture sensitivity results. “Sufficient dose” means adequate use of antibacterial drugs to quickly achieve sufficient blood concentrations to eliminate pathogens. “Complete course” refers to ensuring treatment duration is sufficient. Antibacterial drugs use should continue until symptoms disappear and urine cultures turn negative for two weeks.
