Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) In Men

UTIs are just a problem for young women.  Although UTIs are more common in young women, men, too, are not immune to infections of the urinary tract.  One of the most common infections in middle age and older men are urinary tract infections.

Older men (such as, men 70 years and older) are at somewhat higher risk for UTIs because of problems going to the bathroom and/or emptying the bladder. Older post-menopausal women are also at a greater risk for UTIs due to lower amounts of vaginal estrogen, which can change the vaginal climate. The normal flora, ‘good bacteria,’ are looked at as ‘good’ because they kill off other types of bacteria that can cause UTIs. Good bacteria can only grow in slightly acidic vaginal climates and this needs some estrogen. Systemic estrogen replacement options like pills and skin patches do not help with this problem, but vaginal estrogen therapy can be helpful for certain individuals. Talk to your doctor to see if this is a choice for you.

Often, older adults can help stop UTIs by staying hydrated, using the bathroom and getting routine health exams to screen for health problems like high blood sugar that puts you at higher risk for getting a UTI. If you or a loved one wears adult diapers, it’s very important to keep the genital area clean and to change them often.

Other Groups at High-Risk for UTIs

People with high blood sugar and vesicoureteral reflux are at higher risk of getting a UTI. Vesicoureteral reflux is when urine goes backwards from the bladder toward the kidney. Over time, this reflux of infected urine may raise a person’s risk for kidney damage. Vesicoureteral reflux is usually seen in children with UTIs compared to adults. Additionally, some patients with kidney stones and indwelling catheters may also be a higher risk for getting a UTI. An indwelling catheter is a hollow tube that is placed into the bladder through the urethra and left inside your body. The catheter drains urine from your bladder into a bag outside of your body. A catheter-associated UTI happens when bacteria enter the urinary tract through the catheter and cause an infection.

How UTIs are Diagnosed

In most cases, if you think you have a UTI, you should visit a health care provider and give a urine sample for testing. A urinalysis is a test that looks for white blood cells, red blood cells, bacteria, and or other chemicals such as nitrites in your urine. A proper urinalysis can pinpoint an infection and a urine culture can help your health care provider choose the best antibiotic for treatment. It is vital to get a urinalysis and culture performed to make sure you have an infection and require care. Use of antibiotics when not needed, can be tricky, and can lead to greater rates of bacterial antibiotic resistance.

It should be noted that some individuals get a urinalysis result that shows bacteria, but the individuals are not having any symptoms of a UTI. This event is common in older adults. If the individual has bacteria in their urine, but has no symptoms, treatment is not right. Treatment should be given to individuals who have bacteria and associated UTI symptoms.

In closing, it should be noted that studies on cranberry juice and linked supplements are mixed. Some studies show that cranberry supplements can be helpful and other studies show that they don’t help stop UTIs before they happen. Be sure to read about the pros and cons of cranberry products, and decide if they’re right for you. For now, practice these tips to lower your risk of getting a UTI.

Tips for Preventing UTIs

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Urinate often.
3. Don’t hold it.
4. Keep your genital area clean.
5. Empty your bladder before and after sex

 

Bottom Line:  UTIs are common in men and women.  Men after age 70 are at a risk for UTIs.  The symptoms are burning on urination, frequency of urination, passing cloudy urine, and even blood in the urine.  The diagnosis is easily made with a physical examination, a urine exam, and occasionally other imaging studies.  Treatment with antibiotics is usually effective.

UTIs-Natural Solutions For Prevention

UTIs affect millions of men and women impacting their quality of life and may even affect their kidneys. Fortunately, most of these infections are uncomfortable with symptoms of burning on urination, frequency of urination, and back and pelvic pain. This article will discuss the usefulness of cranberry juice which may serve as an effective treatment to prevent recurrent UTIs.

A recent study reported in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aug. 2015 showed that cranberry pills (two capsules twice daily, equivalent to two 8-ounce servings of cranberry juice daily) cut the rate of UTIs in half.

Also there is supplement, D-mannose, can also help to reduce recurrent UTIs. Another study found good results from a combination of cranberry and d-mannose.

D-mannose is filtered through your kidneys and concentrated in your bladder and coats the bacteria causing the infections and renders them unable to stay in your urinary tract.

More than 90 percent of all UTIs are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is normally found in your intestinal tract. Problems only arise when this ordinary bacterium is present in high numbers in places where it shouldn’t be—like your urinary system.

Although antibiotics are an effective means of eradicating bacteria within the urinary tract, antibiotics need to be used with caution. Antibiotics are not selective and they kill the pathogenic bacteria in the urinary tract but also kill the good bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics and with the removal of bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract there is a risk of other infections such as vaginal infections, fungal infections and side effects like diarrhea.

Bottom Line: UTIs are so very common and affect millions of American men and women. Cranberry juice and D-mannose may be a solution to preventing recurrent infections. If you have any questions about recurrent UTIs, speak to your physician.

FAQ From My Patients

I am frequently asked questions by my patients and the answers may be of interest to you. If you have any questions that you would like me to answer, please write me at nbaum@neilbaum.com. to your good health.

I am a 60 yr. woman with recurrent urinary tract infections. I was told to drink cranberry juice. Is that effective?
Studies have documented that within eight hours of drinking cranberry juice, the juice could help prevent bacteria from developing into an infection in the urinary tract. Previous studies have suggested that the active compounds in cranberry juice work to fight against bacteria, including E. coli. Naturopaths believe in the medicinal value of cranberries. My own experience with hundreds of patients is that cranberry juice helps but you must drink 4-6 glasses a day, which is also a lot of sugar. So I suggest the cranberry juice pills. Anyone who suspects they have an infection should see a doctor, but drinking cranberry juice may be an easy, inexpensive way to help keep E. coli at bay.
I have chronic prostatitis. Is zinc helpful for this condition?
Zinc plays an important role in maintaining and improving prostate health. While zinc is found in every organ, tissue and cell in the human body, in males, the prostate has more zinc than any other tissue except bone.
As men get older, they tend to exercise less and their diets change as well, often causing them to fall short of the recommended daily allowance of zinc. Men who don’t have significant levels of zinc in their diets tend to have higher instances prostatitis. They also have higher prostate cancer rates.
The recommended daily allowance for men is 11 milligrams. Zinc is found in many popular foods, including meat and poultry, as well as oysters, beans, nuts, crab, lobster, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals and dairy products.

My urologist told me that I have a varicocele. Will this cause me to have a problem with infertility?

Yes it may. Varicoceles are enlarged varicose veins that occur in the scrotum. They are fairly common, affecting 15 out of 100 men overall and one of the most common causes of male infertility because the heat from the dilated veins affect sperm production. Varicoceles occur most often in the left testicle. A varicocele repair is done to improve male fertility and is accomplished on an outpatient basis with improvement in the sperm producing in 3-4 months after the procedure.

I had radiation therapy for prostate cancer and now have a loss of my sex drive. What is the cause?
Men who receive radiation therapy for prostate cancer often receive injections to lower the testosterone level to decrease the growth of the cancer. Testosterone is responsible for the sex drive or libido. Often the testosterone level will return to normal after the medication is discontinued after the radiation therapy. In some instances men can receive testosterone one year after radiation if the PSA level stays at a low level. I suggest you have a discussion with your urologist about the use of testosterone in men with prostate cancer.

Urinary Tract Infections-Help Without Medication

Urinary Tract Infections Are One of the Most Common Maladies affecting women and is a source of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience. There are several action steps that most women can take to help reduce the frequency of these infections.
There are several simple, do-it-yourself techniques that may prevent a urinary tract infection. Some may work some of the time, or only in some women. But, because they carry no side effects, they certainly are worth trying to prevent the often painful and bothersome symptoms the infection can bring.
Here are some steps you might consider if you have more than 3-4 infections a year.

• Drink plenty of fluids – the equivalent of six to eight 8-ounce glasses of liquids – every day to flush bacteria out of your urinary system.
• Make sure you’re getting vitamin C in your diet, either through food or supplements. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, makes your urine acidic, which discourages the growth of bacteria.
• Drinking cranberry juice may also produce the same effect. Cranberry tablets are a more concentrated form of cranberry juice without the sugar content.
• Urinate every two to three hours whether you have the urge or not. Keeping urine in your bladder for long periods gives bacteria an opportunity to grow.
• Avoid using feminine hygiene sprays and scented douches. They also may irritate the urethra.
If you suffer from urinary tract infections more than three times a year, your health care professional may suggest one of the following therapies to try to prevent another recurrence:
• See you doctor about a low dosage of an antibiotic medication, such as trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or nitrofurantoin, taken daily for six months or longer
• If you infections occur after sexual intimacy, a single dose of an antibiotic medication taken after sexual intercourse.
Bottom Line: Recurrent urinary tract infections impact millions of American women. A few of these steps can probably reduce the frequency of these infections. If you have any questions, check with your doctor.