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Urinary Tract Infections In Women

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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections encountered in outpatient clinic. Urine stores in bladder and is sterile. When pathogenic microorganisms present in the urinary tract with concomitant symptoms, people develop UTIs. In USA, UTIs account for 8 million doctor visits, 1 million emergency room visits, and more than 100,000 hospital admissions each year (Domino, Baldor, Golding, and Stephens, 2015). In women, 11% of them have UTIs in any given year, more than 50% of them have at least one UTI in their lifetime, and 1 in 4 women have recurrent UTIs (Domino, Baldor, Golding, and Stephens, 2015). Most of UTIs are uncomplicated and occur in young and sexually active women (Domino, Baldor, Golding, and Stephens, 2015). The most common cause of uncomplicated UTIs in women is Escherichia coli due to women has short length of urethra and is …show more content…

The clinical complaints of uncomplicated lower UTI usually include urinary frequency, urinary urgency, dysuria, burning sensation when urination, hematuria, suprapubic pain, etc (Mehnert-Kay, 2005). When upper urinary tract is involved, patient presents with fever, chills, flank pain, costovertebral angle tenderness, nausea, or vomiting (Mehnert-Kay, 2005). The urine tests of UTI include urine dipstick, urinalysis, and urine culture and sensitivity. The urine dipstick can detect leukocyte esterase, nitrites, blood, glucose, and protein. The urinalysis exams RBCs, WBCs, bacteria, WBC casts, color, glucose, ketone, protein, bilirubin, and etc. The urine culture and sensitivity detects which bacteria patient is infected and which antibiotic is sensitive. According to Haddock (2015), nitrates are wastes for Gram-negative bacterial metabolism and leucocyte esterase is the products of white blood cells in response to inflammation. Based on patient’s HPI and lab reports, H.L. is diagnosed with urinary tract infection (uncomplicated lower

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