A lot of medical conditions cause extreme discomfort, which make us wish they can be cured as soon as possible. One health issue I'm sure we all want to avoid is having Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). This is an infection that affects parts of the body's urinary system: kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
 |
| don't ignore the urge to pee! |
According to medical practitioners, women are at a greater risk of developing UTI than men. It's the reason why we're always being told to wipe from "front to back" after using the toilet. Pregnant women, most especially, are often advised to take extra care not to develop UTI because it can cause premature birth and preeclampsia (a condition characterized by high blood pressure).
Did you know? UTI is one of the top reasons why people go to the doctor every year. One out of five women will experience UTI at some point in their lives and 80% will have repeat infections. Other individuals prone to UTI are those diagnosed with diabetes, have weak immune systems, have kidney stones, children born with abnormal urinary tracts, and patients who use catheters.
 |
| photo borrowed from healthychildren.org |
- a burning sensation while peeing
- a frequent or intense urge to pee but only a little amount comes out when you do
- a heavy feeling in various parts of the tummy
- a feeling of being tired or shaky
- cloudy, dark, bloody, or strange-smelling urine
If the infection has already reached the kidneys, you may also have:
- pain or pressure in your back or lower abdomen
- fever and chills
- nausea or vomiting
 |
| photo borrowed from vox.com |
Thankfully, there are ways to avoid having UTI:
- drink plenty of water
- go to the toilet immediately when you feel the urge to pee
- wipe the genital area with clean tissue from front to back to prevent bacteria from entering the urinary tract
- practice good hygiene
- pee before sleeping at night
During a medical symposium recently held in Shangri-La Makati, internationally known speakers shared their knowledge and inputs about the management and treatment options for UTI. Some of the topics discussed included Management of Hospital and Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections, UTI in Pregnancy and Menopause, an Overview on Antibiotics Therapy, Management of Antibiotic Resistant Infections, and International and Local UTI Guidelines.
 |
| photo borrowed from thefilipinodoctor.com |
What I gathered from the talks is the availability of various drugs to treat UTI. Some of these are concentration-dependent drugs while others are time-dependent ones. Although prescribing of treatments will depend on one's doctor, I learned that there's now a one-dose medicine that has been formulated to treat UTI.
If you also find it inconvenient to take several doses of medication in the course of several days to treat UTI, ask your doctor about Monurol (generic name: Fosfomycin trometamol). Please take note that this is a regulated drug that can only be bought with a bonafide prescription. For more information, you may also visit http://cathaydrug.ph.
* The SRP for a dose of Fosfomycin is P487.00
No comments:
Post a Comment