What is a Urinary Tract Infection?
A urinary track infection, commonly called a UTI, is an infection of the urinary system that infects the uretha, bladder, ureters, and/ or kidneys. Most UTI's affect the bladder, in this case it is called a cystitis. However, if this stage progresses, the bacteria will infect the kidneys. The infection of the kidneys due to a UTI is known as pyelonephritis. At this point the infection has become more serious. Statistics of urinary tract infections:
The National Health Care Safety Network states that UTI's are the most commonly reported health care infection. In a global perspective, it is reported that over 150 million UTI's occur a year. In the United States, there are about 8.6 million physician visits for UTI's, as opposed to 1 million hospital visits. Women are more likely to develop a UTI than men. About 50% of all women will become infected with a UTI at one point in their lifetime. |
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