Urinary tract infection in men is a serious health problem. The prevalence of UTI in men is less as compared to women; it is perhaps due to the anatomy of genital organs in men. However there are millions of men affected with UTI every year. UTI in men increases with age; men of African American origin are more vulnerable to UTI as compared to males of other community such as Hispanics and caucasians.
Common Causes of UTI in Men
UTI is common in lower urinary tract that is the urinary bladder and the urethra. When the infection reaches up into the kidney it is known as pyelonephritis.
Bacteria are the common cause for urinary tract infection in men. E.coli is the bacteria that commonly invade the urinary tract and cause UTI.
- kidney stone.
- Enlarged prostate gland as men age.
- Sexually transmitted disease such as gonorrhea.
- Male who is not circumscribed is at a greater risk of UTI, because the germs get easily trapped in the foreskin and it becomes easy for them to travel up to the urethra and into the bladder.
- A person who has weak immune system is also at a risk of contracting UTI.
- Urinary catheters and instrumentation while doing some investigations in the urinary system can cause infection of the urinary tract.
- Past history of UTI increases the risk of infection.
Symptoms of UTI in Men
To simplify we can group UTI in men in three forms. Cystitis is infection in the bluffer, urethritis is infection in the urethra, and pyelonephritis is infection in the kidney.
Symptoms of Cystitis:
- Frequent urination.
- Frequent urge to urinate at night (nocturia).
- Cloudy urine.
- Burning urination.
- Pain in the lower abdomen.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Fever with chills and rigors.
Symptoms of Pyelonephritis:
- Pain in the back.
- Tenderness in the loin region.
- Vomiting
- Fever with chills and rigors.
- Hematuria (blood in urine).
- Red urine.
- Frequent urination.
- Burning urination.
- Fatigue.
- Occasionally pain in the abdomen.
Symptoms of Urethritis:
- Burning while passing urine.
- Pricking pain in the urethra.
- Discharge from the urethra in gonorrhea.
Home Remedies for UTI in Men
Although antibacterial medicines play an important role in treating UTI in men, home remedies are useful in complementing various therapies used as front line treatment. This home remedies can give symptomatic relief to the patient suffering from UTI.
Following are the home remedies:
- Drink plenty of water as water flushes out the bacteria adhered to the walls of the bladder and the urinary organs.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) increases urine acid content of the urine. This helps to kill the bacteria and prevent its growth. Therefore it is advisable to eat food and fruits having rich supply of vitamin C.
- Drink cranberry juice twice in a day if you suffer from UTI. It contains vitamin C and quinolic acid.
- Echinacea tea helps to treat UTI in men. The herb helps to fight the bacterial organisms present in the urinary tract.
- Barley water is also useful in relieving burning urination caused in UTI.