- Drink plenty of water every day; (Some doctors suggest drinking cranberry juice, which in large amounts inhibits the growth of some bacteria by acidifying the urine.) * Don't put off urinating when you feel the need;
- Wipe from front to back to prevent bacteria around the anus from entering the vagina or urethra;
- Cleanse the genital area before sexual intercourse;
- Empty the bladder shortly before and after sexual intercourse; and
- Avoid using feminine hygiene sprays and scented douches. Complicated Infections
In both sexes, curing "complicated" infections--those involving an obstruction of urine or disorder of the nervous system-depends on finding and correcting the underlying problem, sometimes with surgery. If the root cause is not treated effectively, this group of patients is at risk of kidney damage. Also, such infections tend to arise from a wider range of bacteria, and occasionally from more than one organism at a time, so choosing the best antibiotic therapy can be a more complex process.
As discussed earlier, UTI's are unusual in men. When they do occur, it is likely that the patient has some kind of obstruction--for example, a urinary stone or enlarged prostate--or recently had a medical procedure involving a catheter. The first step is to identify the infecting organism and the drugs to which it is sensitive. Usually, doctors recommend lengthier therapy in men than in women, in part to prevent infection of the prostate gland. When infection does involve the prostate (prostatitis), it is harder to cure' because antibacterial drugs are unable to penetrate prostatic tissue very well. For this reason, men with prostatitis often need long-term treatment with a carefully selected antibiotic.
Research in Urinary System Disorders
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) was established by Congress in 1950 as an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), whose mission is to improve human health through biomedical research. The NIH is the research arm of the Public Health Service under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NIDDK conducts and supports a variety of research in diseases of the kidney and urinary tract. Much of the research targets disorders of the lower urinary tract, including urinary tract infection, urinary obstruction, vesicoureteral reflux, prostatitis, urinary stones, and other urinary disorders. The knowledge gained from these studies is advancing scientific understanding of why UTI's develop and may lead to improved methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing urinary infections.
