Hyderabad: Seventy-five per cent of samples collected by a medical college in the city for diagnosing the urinary tract infections (UTIs) found that there was no bacterial growth in urine culture due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics to treat infection.
Urinary tract infection is more prevalent among women than men. The infection affects the urinary tract, causing discomfort.
Out of 248 samples collected for the urine culture, 186 samples had no bacteria growth which showed that the patient had different types of antibiotics. Sixty-two samples showed Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species and Proteus species of bacteria.
Dr Naveed Altaf, who carried out the research in 2016 on the samples, said that antibiotics are either underused, overused or misused.
Culture of urine is carried out before starting the treatment to understand the use of appropriate antibiotic therapy. But no culture means that all the existing first and second line antibiotics have been used and hence the extreme antibiotics have to be administered to treat the infection.
Dr G. Srinivas, a consultant urologist, noted, “Women are prone to UTIs as they have shorter urethras. Recurrent UTI shows that the bacteria are still inside and the infection has not been completely eliminated. Lower tract UTI has to be treated properly otherwise it can affect the functioning of the kidney. Drug resistance is one of the most common problems seen in women as the tolerance of microorganisms to antibiotics is found to be high.”
At the clinical level, three out of 10 women face the problem of resistance to the first line of antibiotics and two out of 10 are resistant to higher grades of antibiotics.
Dr Ram Prasad, a senior urologist, explained, “We find patients who use the prescription for antibiotics in piece meal basis. Many of them save the medicine for later use which aggravates the condition. There are many others who use a combination of Ayurveda and the modern medicine to treat the infection. Many of them self-prescribe antibiotics by using the old prescriptions.”Due to this irrational use, treatment for this category of patients becomes a major challenge.
Symptoms of UTI
- A burning sensation during urination.
- Frequent urination.
- Pain and pressure in lower abdomen.
- Cloudy, dark and smelly urine.
- Fever if the infection affects the kidneys.
Water deficiency, bacteria lead to UTI
Bacteria invasion in urethra makes a woman prone to the recurring problem of urinary tract infection (UTI), said medical experts.
Those who do not drink sufficient water are more prone to the disease. Dr Sanand Bag, a senior urologist, said, “Urinary tract infections are also due to dehydration. Those who are diabetic and are taking different combination of medicines also complain of the problem. It has found that insufficient intake of water has led to the condition. Women, who suffer from the disease, must take water in small quantity at regular intervals.”
Water allows the body to flush out the bacteria and germs and helps the immune system control the infection. But when there is insufficient water and proliferation of bacteria, the symptoms re-emerge.
The prevalence of bacteria in younger women is found to be 30 times more than men. More than 40 per cent of women in the age-group of 20 to 45 years have reported a recurrence symptom within one year.
