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Urine Infection (cont.)

Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP
Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Common urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in women, men, and children

Common urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in women include:

  • Urge to urinate frequently, often in small amounts
  • Burning with urination
  • Cloudy urine
  • Strong unpleasant smell of urine
  • Dark or bloody urine
  • Pelvic pain
  • Flank or back pain (kidney infection)
  • Fever, chills (usually with kidney infection)
  • Other possible symptoms include bloating, vaginal discharge

Common urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in men include:

  • Urge to urinate frequently, often in small amounts
  • Burning with urination
  • Cloudy urine
  • Strong unpleasant smell of urine
  • Dark or bloody urine
  • Rectal pain (kidney infection)
  • Flank or back pain (kidney infection)
  • Other symptoms may include penile, testicular and abdominal pain, and penile discharge

Common urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms in children include:

  • Urge to urinate frequently, often in small amounts
  • Burning with urination
  • Cloudy urine
  • Strong unpleasant smell of urine (not as reliable in children)
  • Dark or bloody urine
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fever
  • Vomiting
  • Other symptoms (especially in newborns and infants) may include hypothermia, diarrhea, jaundice, poor feeding and in some children, bedwetting

What are urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms and signs in women, men, and children?

Comment on this Read 40 Comments

The UTI symptoms and signs may vary according to age, sex, and location of the infection in the tract. Some individuals will have no symptoms or mild symptoms and may clear the infection in about two to five days. Many people will not spontaneously clear the infection; one of the most frequent symptoms and signs experienced by most patients is a frequent urge to urinate, accompanied by pain or burning on urination. The urine often appears cloudy and occasionally dark, if blood is present. The urine may develop an unpleasant odor. Women often have lower abdominal discomfort or feel bloated and experience sensations like their bladder is full. Women may also complain of a vaginal discharge, especially if their urethra is infected, or if they have an STD. Although men may complain of dysuria, frequency, and urgency, other symptoms may include rectal, testicular, penile, or abdominal pain. Men with a urethral infection, especially if it is caused by an STD, may have a pus-like drip or discharge from their penis. Toddlers and children with UTIs often show blood in the urine, abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting along with pain and urgency with urination.

Symptoms and signs of a UTI in the very young and the elderly are not as diagnostically helpful as they are for other patients. Newborns and infants may develop fever or hypothermia, poor feeding, jaundice, vomiting, and diarrhea. Unfortunately, the elderly often have mild symptoms or no symptoms of a UTI until they become weak, lethargic, or confused.

Location of the infection in the urinary tract usually results in certain symptoms. Urethral infections usually have dysuria (pain or discomfort when urinating). STD infections may cause a pus-like fluid to drain or drip from the urethra. Cystitis (bladder infection) symptoms include suprapubic pain, usually without fever and flank pain. Ureter and kidney infections often have flank pain and fever as symptoms. These symptoms and signs are not highly specific, but they do help the physician determine where the UTI may be located.

Reviewed by Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP on 2/1/2013

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