Tests for UTI

A urinary tract infection, also known as a UTI, is bacteria-caused inflammation of the urinary system, which includes the bladder, kidneys and urethra. These infections are common, inconvenient and quite often painful. However, they can also be easily treated once diagnosed. There are several ways to test for a urinary tract infection.

Symptoms

• Many people treat urinary tract infections through home remedies, never seeing a health care professional for a diagnosis. This is especially true if you are prone to recurring urinary tract infections. For home treatment, the urinary tract infection test is often just recognizing the symptoms as early as possible. Some symptoms include a sudden increase in the urge to urinate. You may find yourself wanting to urinate several more times a day, even if little or no urine comes out. You may notice a change in your urine, too. It may be darker or have blood in it. Many also experience a burning sensation when they urinate.

Urine Sample

• While there are home treatments for urinary tract infections, the most efficient way to treat them is by using antibiotics. For this, you must see your health care provider for a diagnosis. In nearly all cases, he will ask you to provide a urine sample so that he can test it. Before filling the collection container, wash your hands and genitals around urethra to help avoid any false results. Allow some urine to fall into the toilet and begin collecting in midstream.

Catheterization

• Collecting urine from those who cannot give a clean catch sample is a little more complicated. Babies, the elderly and paralyzed patients often have no control over their bladders. They cannot go into the restroom and urinate into a container. Instead, their health care providers will use a catheter, a small flexible tube used to draw urine from the bladder. The catheter is inserted through the urethra and into the bladder on one end. The other end is attached to a collection bag. Of course, the bag and catheter are sterile and the end of the urethra is cleansed to avoid a false test result.

Urine Analysis

• The most common way to test for a urinary tract infection is a urine analysis, where the urine sample you provided is examined for bacteria. Urine is normally sterile, so any bacteria in the sample can indicate an infection. At this point, most health care providers will prescribe a course of antibiotics designed to kill the bacteria and cure your infection.

Urine Culture

• Some people, especially women, are prone to recurring urinary tract infections. This can be because the bacteria causing their infections are resistant to particular drugs. In the case of recurring urinary tract infections, your health care provider will often go a step further than a urine analysis and have a urine culture done. This is a process where the bacteria found in your urine is cultivated and grown for identification and testing purposes. When the particular strain of bacteria that is causing your infection is identified, it is much easier to tailor your antibiotic treatment to it.