Symptoms

Along with the respiratory tract, the urinary tract is the organ system most frequently targeted by infections. Because of their anatomy (shorter urethra) women are affected by urinary tract infections much more often than men.

One in five women will get a urinary tract infection at least once a year, with younger or sexually active women being most affected. In most cases, this will be acute, uncomplicated cystitis.1

Differentiation

The term "urinary tract infection" – UTI for short – denotes the presence of bacteria in the urinary tract. Different conditions are defined on the basis of the nature of the infection/site affected.

In terms of the location of the infection, a distinction is made between lower and upper UTIs. In the case of upper UTIs, the kidneys/renal pelvis are affected. These are complicated infections. In the case of lower UTIs, the infection is limited to the bladder/urethra.

Anatomy - the female urinary tract

The term complicated urinary tract infection also refers to all infections in people with particular risk factors for a severe form or for complications, such as:

  • urinary tract infections in children
  • pregnant women
  • in men generally
  • in diabetics
  • in immunosuppressed people (e.g. after an organ transplant)

In addition, conditions such as urine outflow obstruction, prostate enlargement, uterine prolapse, kidney or bladder stones, tumours, etc. are considered to be factors for aggravation of urinary tract infection.

A lower urinary tract infection, generally cystitis, is usually referred to as an uncomplicated urinary tract infection. An uncomplicated urinary tract infection like this may be a one-off or it may keep coming back. If you get more than three urinary tract infections a year, we call this a recurrenturinary tract infection2.