Do You have an Upper or Lower Urinary Track Infection - What is the difference?

I am always on the look out for urinary track infection tips. I came across this interesting

Were you aware that there are different types of urinary track infections? I never realized it. I always that that a UTI was a UTI.

Well it turns out there are two different kinds of urinary tract infections upper and lower. Lower UTI is the most common. A lower urinary track infection is where bacteria enter from the outside of the body into the urethra and migrate into the bladder.

Here is how they explained it.

“If you feel a burning sensation while urinating, but no other symptoms, you probably have urethritis, an infection of the urethra.
Cystitis occurs when bacteria work their way up from the urethra to infect the bladder. This is the most common UTI and it is most often found in women who have repeated infections. Urethritis and cystitis frequently occur together.”
Not all urinary track infections show any signs. Some of my close friends have had a lower UTI that showed no signs, no burning during urination, no abdominal pain, no discolored urine or blood in the urine. That was until it became an upper UTI.

It hit them in the middle of the night. They woke up with an incredibly sharp, piercing pain on one side just below the rib cage.

It went from a wait until the doctor’s office opens and get an appointment to, take me to the emergency room now. I never liked getting those phone calls in the middle of the night, but she was in bad shape.

Here is how they explained an upper urinary track infection in more detail.

“If a lower UTI is left untreated, the bacteria can spread beyond the bladder, through one of the ureters, and into a kidney. This infection, known as pyelonephritis, requires immediate medical care. Symptoms are stronger than a lower UTI: back pain (since the kidneys are located there), fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting as well as the typical complaints associated with cystitis. If allowed to persist, this condition can become chronic and eventually lead to kidney damage or even kidney failure.”


Here is the link…

I am very interested in hearing your thoughts.