Urinary tract infection (UTI) might just be the most common infection in the country, affecting more than 80 million adult Americans and ultimately responsible for nearly 10 million doctor visits every year. While the infection is easily treatable with antibiotics, the probability of recurrence is almost 20%. The worst part is, those who suffer repeated bouts of UTI are at more risk of their bodies developing a life-threatening response called sepsis, otherwise known as blood poisoning – your body’s overtly active way to fight off infection. Show What is Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)? As the name implies, UTI is an infection that affects any part of the urinary system. Despite the fact that women are more susceptible to it than men, the risk of men getting infected increases as they age. UTI is generally caused by certain strains of bacteria residing and multiplying anywhere in the patient’s urinary tract. The urinary tract is mainly composed of your kidneys, pelvis, ureter, bladder, and urethra. For this reason, UTI is also known by the following names: cystitis (bladder infection), urethritis (urethra infection), and pyelonephritis (kidney infection). However, most UTI are diagnosed in the bladder, where urine is stored before the body finally excretes it. It has also been established that women are more likely to develop UTIs because their urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. This increases the likelihood of infection via ascension of bacteria through the periureteral entry. Most UTIs are not considered serious. However, leaving it untreated can lead to more serious medical problems. Infection can likely spread to your kidneys and blood stream causing permanent damage, and even death. UTI: A Silent Killer The truth of the matter is, UTI shouldn’t be a serious enough condition and yet, the country spends almost $1.6 billion just to treat this disease. The infection isn’t actually deadly in itself, but the body’s natural response when threatened by such disease can have fatal consequences, especially when afflicted by the same illness over and over again as it is wont to do with UTI. Urosepsis, which has been known to kill and disable thousands of Americans, requires early diagnosis and treatment. Those who survive urosepsis are left suffering its life-altering consequences including but not limited to chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), organ dysfunction, and even amputations. This is why it’s always better to treat bacterial UTI early rather than wait for it to get worse. It’s also a dangerous mistake to leave UTI untreated as the infection will spread to the uninfected parts of your urinary tract. Some of the symptoms of UTI include frequent urges to pass urine, feeling of pain where the kidneys are located, feelings of fatigue, and thick or cloudy urine that may or may not include blood. If you suspect yourself or any member of your family to be suffering from UTI, you must consult a urologist immediately to help you fight off the infection. You might be sent to do some additional tests but it will be all worth it in the end. Sources: Adult UTI, AmericanUrologicalAssociation.org Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are common infections that more frequently affect people with short urethras, cisgender women and transgender women who have had vaginoplasty, surgery to create a vagina. Most often, UTIs are treated quickly and effectively with antibiotics. Unfortunately, not all UTIs are treated quickly and some aren’t even identified, particularly among people who have limited or no sensation below the waist or who are unable to speak for themselves. Untreated urinary tract infections may spread to the kidney, causing more pain and illness. It can also cause sepsis. The term urosepsis describes sepsis caused by a UTI. Sometimes incorrectly called blood poisoning, sepsis is the body’s life-threatening response to infection or injury. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. People shouldn’t die from a UTI, but if sepsis begins to take over and develops to severe sepsis and then to septic shock, this is exactly what can happen. UTIs cause more than half the cases of urosepsis among older adults. Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in the body, such as pneumonia, influenza, or urinary tract infections. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment. Worldwide, one-third of people who develop sepsis die. Many who do survive are left with life-changing effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and fatigue, organ dysfunction (organs don’t work properly) and/or amputations. What is a urinary tract infection?A urinary tract infection is an infection in the urinary tract, which runs from your kidneys, through the ureters, the urinary bladder and out through the urethra. UTIs are very common and, in general, easy to treat. A lower UTI, the more common type, affects the lower part of the urinary tract, the urethra and urinary bladder. Infection of the urethra is called urethritis and of the bladder is called cystitis. If the kidney is infected, called pyelonephritis, this is an upper UTI, as the kidney is the highest part of the urinary tract. A UTI can be caused by bacteria (the most common type of infection) or a fungus. How do you get urinary tract infections?The design of the human body makes it so it isn’t hard to get a bacterial UTI, because the infection comes from outside, through the urethra. Bacteria in the genital area can enter the urethra and the urinary tract, either because wiping after going to the bathroom, sexual activity, or unsanitary conditions. Once the bacteria have entered the urethra, the body tries fight them off, but sometimes the bacteria multiply and cause an infection. In the case of a fungal infection, usually the fungus gets to the urinary tract through the blood stream. Those who develop this type of infection are usually ill with a disease that has compromised their immune system, such as AIDS. In general, people with shorter urethras get more UTIs than do cisgender men and transgender men who have had a phalloplasty, surgery to create a penis and lengthen the urethra. This increases with age. Statistics show that those with shorter urethras often get more than one. Over their life time. Almost 20% who have had one UTI will go on to have a second. SymptomsIn the early stages of a lower UTI, you may feel:
As the infection progresses, you may experience:
Seniors may not show any of these signs or they may be too subtle for someone else to notice. An added symptom among this age group is confusion. Often, if a senior’s behavior changes suddenly, they may have an undiagnosed UTI. TreatmentWhen caught early, it is usually quite easy to treat a bacterial UTI effectively. After confirming that you do have an infection (usually through a simple examination of a urine sample), you will likely get antibiotics to fight the particular bacteria causing the infection. You also should drink a lot of water, to help flush out the infection. If your doctor suspects that the infection has spread, you may need additional tests. These include blood tests, scans of your kidneys or an ultrasound. It is essential that you complete your full prescription, taking all the antibiotics you receive, even if you feel 100% again. Even with the symptoms gone, the bacteria will still be present for a while and you need those antibiotics to finish getting rid of them. If you do not finish your prescription, there is a very good chance that the bacteria left behind will grow again, causing another infection. And, they may become resistant to the antibiotics that you originally used. To treat a fungal UTI, your doctor would prescribe anti-fungal medications. PreventionIn many cases, we can prevent urinary tract infections.
If you have frequent urinary tract infections, there are some steps you can take to try to reduce the number of infections you get. They include:
The information here is also available as a Sepsis Information Guide, which is a downloadable format for easier printing. Would you like to share your story about sepsis or read about others who have had sepsis? Please visit Faces of Sepsis, where you will find hundreds of stories from survivors and tributes to those who died from sepsis.  If you suspect sepsis, call 9-1-1 or go to a hospital and tell your medical professional, “I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SEPSIS.” Suggested Citation: Sepsis Alliance. Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections. 2022. https://www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/urinary-tract-infections/ Updated June 6, 2022. How long can a UTI go untreated?How long does a UTI last untreated? Some UTIs will go away on their own in as little as 1 week. However, UTIs that do not go away on their own will only get worse over time. If you think you have a UTI, speak with a doctor about the best course of action.
What happens if you have a UTI for too long?If your UTI goes untreated, it may progress into a more serious infection. “An untreated bladder infection can become a kidney or prostate infection. These infections are more serious, because they can travel through the blood stream causing sepsis. Sepsis makes people very ill and can even be critical,” Dr.
How do I know if my UTI is serious?See a GP if you feel feverish and have pain that will not go away in your tummy, lower back or genitals. You should also see a GP if you have symptoms of a UTI that have not improved after a few days, or if you have blood in your pee. Contact a GP immediately if you think your child may have a kidney infection.
Can you live with an untreated UTI?When left untreated, the infection from a UTI can actually move throughout the body—becoming very serious and even life threatening. If you do not treat a bladder infection, it may turn into a kidney infection, which can then result in a more serious infection that's moved into the blood stream.
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What happens if a urinary tract infection is untreated
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