Urinary tract infection
Introduction
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common infections that can affect the bladder, the kidneys and the tubes connected to them.
Anyone can get them, but they're particularly common in women. Some women experience them regularly (called recurrent UTIs).
UTIs can be painful and uncomfortable, but usually pass within a few days and can be easily treated with Penicillin .
This page is about UTIs in adults. There is a separate article about UTIs in children .
This page covers:
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 25 Nov 2016
Introduction
Find out about urinary tract infections (UTIs), including what the symptoms are, when to get medical advice and how they're treated.
Symptoms of UTIs
Infections of the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body) are known as lower UTIs. These can cause: a need to pee more often than usual pain or
When to get medical advice
It's a good idea to see your GP if you think you might have a UTI, particularly if: you have symptoms of an upper UTI (see above) the symptoms are severe or getting worse the symptoms haven't
Treatment for UTIs
UTIs are normally treated with a short course of antibiotics. Most women are given a three-day course of antibiotic capsules or tablets. Men, pregnant women and people with more serious sym
Causes of UTIs
UTIs occur when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria. In most cases, bacteria from the gut enter the urinary tract through the urethra. This may occur when wipi
Preventing UTIs
If you get UTIs frequently, there are some things you can try that may stop it coming back. However, it's not clear how effective most of these measures are. These measures include: avoiding p
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