Summer has arrived. It is essential to keep our bodies nourished and well hydrated. Not drinking enough water and not passing enough urine can lead to problems like urinary tract infection. Problems due to kidney and ureteric stones also tend to get highlighted in the summer months because people are likely to get dehydrated. When there is not enough fluid intake, the stones do not get washed out and lead to problems. When the stone is stuck in the ureter—the thin tube carrying the urine from the kidney to the bladder—keeps contracting to push the stone out causing intense pain. Drink lots of water and stay healthy.

• A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an inflammation of the urinary tract caused by bacteria. When the infection is confined to the bladder (cystitis), the bladder will keep contracting and there is a constant urge to pass urine. When you do go to the bathroom, you may pass only a few drops of urine. In severe infection, some women may even pass blood-stained urine. If left untreated, the infection can travel upwards from the bladder and cause infection in the kidneys. This is called pyelonephritis. In this case, there will be fever and chills, along with pain in the flanks (over the kidney area).

• Using the restroom on a train has not caused this infection. There are several bacteria in the vagina and the rectum that can gain entrance into the bladder. Urinary tract infection is more common in women because the urethra is short, making it easy for bacteria to enter the bladder. Normally, the small number of bacteria is not enough to cause an infection. However, since you were on the train, you probably did not drink enough water. Drinking enough water and passing enough urine will normally flush out the bacteria before they can proliferate and cause a problem. Women also tend to hold the urine for a long time because of the lack of a proper bathroom. This allows the bacteria to grow inside the bladder and this can result in an infection.

 

• Your doctor would have asked for two types of tests. One would be a routine examination of the urine for the presence of pus cells, red blood cells and bacteria. In a woman, the presence of 10 or more pus cells per high power field may indicate a urine infection.

• However, the urine infection has to be confirmed by the second test, which is a urine culture and sensitivity test. The urine has to be collected in a sterile container given by the lab. The first few drops of urine are passed into the toilet and then the remaining mid-stream urine is collected in the container.  This sample of urine is tested to see if any bacteria grow out of it and whether the number of bacteria is significant enough to have caused an infection. Usually, a urine culture report takes 48 hours to obtain. A properly done culture test will report the number of colonies of the bacteria (colony count). An infection is diagnosed if there is a significant colony count of more than 100,000.The bacteria that grows is also checked to see which antibiotic it is sensitive to. If this test is not done, you may take the wrong antibiotic which may not eradicate the bacteria completely. The bacteria may then cause repeated infections.

 

• Apart from giving you an antibiotic to treat the infection, your doctor will also prescribe a tablet to reduce the pain. The usual tablets that are given are flavoxate or phenazopyridine. They are usually taken 3 times daily for 2 days and reduce the pain, irritation, and frequency.