Urinary tract infections are a common disease in hospital outpatient departments, with more female patients under normal circumstances, although the likelihood of male patients having urinary tract infections is slightly lower than that of female patients.
However, men often disregard their own urinary tract infections, which can lead to recurrent inflammation that cannot be cured, causing many harms. Statistics show that 20% of chronic kidney failure cases are actually caused by urinary tract infections, and there is also a correlation between urinary tract infections and 80% of infertility patients.
This is because bacteria can infect the reproductive tissues around the urethra, causing a series of complications that greatly affect male reproductive health.
What are the symptoms of male urinary tract infections? Generally, with urinary tract infections, the main symptoms are frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, and a feeling of itching in the urethra. In some cases, there may even be urethral discharge. Due to different pathogenic bacteria, the urinary symptoms that occur may vary.
If it is gonococcal urethritis, the initial symptoms may include frequent urination, painful and urgent urination, and men may also notice redness at the urethral opening. As the disease progresses, there may be a large amount of purulent yellow discharge.
On the other hand, if it is non-gonococcal urethritis, there may be symptoms such as frequent urination, painful urination, or urethral itching, but the urethral discharge is generally white. It is important to distinguish between these two types of urethritis because gonococcal urethritis can be transmitted to the partner through sexual intercourse.
Male urinary tract infections pose many risks and can affect fertility. Many people believe that urinary tract infections are just simple urinary tract infections, mere inflammations that are not serious. However, urinary tract infections have many risks and can seriously affect male fertility.
Firstly, male urinary tract infections can cause difficulty in urination, narrowing of the urethra, as inflammation can affect the urethral epithelium and lead to scar tissue formation. In severe cases, urethral narrowing can occur, leading to difficulty in urination.
It may also lead to cystitis, prostatitis, and kidney diseases, among others. If male urinary tract infections are not promptly treated, inflammation can recur and bacteria can spread to other tissues and organs, causing other diseases.
Recurrent urinary tract infections can also affect sexual life and may even affect the treatment of male fertility, leading to a decline in sperm vitality and treatment efficacy, ultimately resulting in male infertility.
To prevent male urinary tract infections, males should drink plenty of water and avoid holding urine for long periods. Prevention of male urinary tract infections should start with identifying the causes, whether it is due to unclean living habits, lack of water intake, tendency to hold urine, or poor personal hygiene.
Many men rarely drink water and only take a few sips when they are thirsty. They also tend to sit for long periods and have a habit of holding urine, which can allow bacteria to invade the urethra, contributing to the occurrence of urinary tract infections. Therefore, drinking plenty of water and avoiding holding urine can help increase the frequency of urination, which can flush out bacteria in the urethra and be helpful in preventing urinary tract infections.
Furthermore, men should try to avoid sitting in unhygienic environments. For patients who experience frequent urinary tract infections, it is even more important to maintain good personal hygiene, especially before and after sexual intercourse.
Chronic urinary tract infections are prone to recurrence. Therefore, men should pay more attention to their diet, consume fresh foods, and avoid spicy or irritating foods. It is recommended to drink plenty of water daily and urinate every 1-2 hours to reduce the occurrence of urinary tract infections and, consequently, reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infections.
Reference:
[1] Jiang Hongmei, What are the hazards of male urinary tract infections? “Medical Industry” 2019,000(013)
[2] Wang Zhenghua, How to prevent urinary tract infections? Oriental Diet Therapy 2020,000(006)
